War of the Hidden
by penfic
Summary: Twilight crossover. A young girl is mysteriously teleported to Briarwood, leading to a full out war between two sides both trying to stay out of the public eye. First fanfic. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**War of the Hidden**

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

Ch. 1

The final bell had just rung, signaling the start of summer vacation. The students were buzzing with excitement as they hurriedly went to their lockers to get their near-empty backpacks. Maxi was no exception. She stuffed her textbook into her locker and grabbed her backpack.

"Come on Maxi, let's go!" her friends rushed her.

"All right, all right, jeez! I'm coming!" she replied. Slamming the locker door, she walked out of the school with the others. Outside was pouring rain. Maxi rolled her eyes and sighed. Only in Washington can it be raining on the first day of summer. Having lived in California all her life, she was used to the sun and heat. Her dad, the infamous (at least to the female half of the student body) Dr. Tommy Oliver, wanted a quiet life after years of saving the world as a Power Ranger, finally decided to escape the state, hoping the "_Ranger Curse_", as he puts it, will wear off once he was outside the Golden State's borders. He even went as far as moving to its opposite. Almost two years ago, after his recent term serving as the Dino Thunder team's Black Ranger and mentor, he packed up and moved himself and his then nine-year-old adoptive daughter to Forks, Washington a small town in the Olympic Peninsula, one of the rainiest places on Earth.

"What's the matter Maxi?" asked her friend, Austin Alexander, "afraid of the rain?"

"No," Maxi retorted. _I wasn't afraid of Mesogog and his goons, and I definitely won't be afraid of a little water_, she thought, but she wasn't going to say that out loud.

"Come on then." Pulling up the hood of her too-big sweatshirt, Maxi followed him and the rest of her friends outside.

"So what are you planning on doing this summer?" Austin asked Maxi. Austin himself was a sophomore in high school. He not only had a summer job, but he was also gonna be working on his football in hopes for a scholarship to college. That's what he does every year (his parents own a diner, he's been working there ever since he was strong enough to carry the plates). Austin's summers were all planned out, but Max was quite the opposite. Her dad was a teacher, so he got the summer off with her. Last summer, they had gone to the wedding of his old high school buddies, Adam Park and Tanya Sloan, yes, the famous singer Tanya Sloan. Maxi's female friends, Lily Lewis and Sophia Simpson, were extremely jealous and pestered her all week about meeting the celebrity (until her male friends, Austin and Jared Jenkins were able to distract them).

"Grow, grow, grow, and did I mention grow?" Maxi replied. Her friends laughed. Maxi was small for her age…or for any age. She was ten-years-old, 11 in less than a fortnight, yet she stood at a mere four-feet-two, a solid 50 inches to match her 50 pounds.

"So where are we going anyways?" asked freshman, Jared.

"Maybe we can go over to Maxi's and just hang out," said Lily suggestively.

"Give it up Lil, he's not going to like you, no matter how much time you spend at his house," Austin told her.

Maxi sighed, shaking her head. She had skipped a grade and was now in seventh, the lower school of Forks High, which meant she had to deal with her dad's many admirers. Most of them don't come up to Maxi like Lily did; but then again, most of them chose to stalk him instead. Who were they kidding? It wasn't like he didn't know they were following him. If a Ranger like him didn't notice a flock of teenage girls following him around, then he should be rotting under a tombstone by now. Lily's straightforwardness had actually allowed her and Maxi to become friends.

"He's right, Lil," Maxi said to the ninth grade cheerleader. "My dad hasn't been on a date since…well, it's been a good decade, the last time he had a girlfriend."

"You're kidding, right?" asked Austin's 16-year-old girlfriend, Sophia.

"No," Maxi answered honestly, shaking her head. "His last girlfriend was Katherine Hillard, 1997. She was the Valedictorian of their class back in Angel Grove."

"Did you know her?" Jared asked.

"I met her during the reunions. She lives in England now, ballerina."

"Was she good looking?" Lily asked. Maxi shrugged. "Better than me?"

"No offense Lil…" Maxi said and the girl got the message. She sighed. Maxi tried to make her feel better. "But hey, Dad gives more attention to you than those other girls, right?" Lily brightened up immediately. Everybody else laughed.

"Yo, Oliver!" boomed a voice so loud, the ten-year-old cringed.

"Hey Emmett," she replied, before even turning to greet him. The guy was _huge_, like a grizzly. He had blonde hair and was pale with permanent purple circles under his eyes. Those few who had ever come in physical contact with him would say his skin was cold, smooth, and hard like marble. And the fewer who had seen him in the sunlight would say he sparkles like a crystal. A wide grin was plastered on his face, making him look like a child in a candy shop.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Maxi said, eyeing his smile suspiciously. Six other voices laughed as Emmett stood there, looking confused. Behind the big guy were two other guys and three girls. Three of them were now seniors at Forks High, while the other three had graduated last year. Emmett was one of the graduates. The others were his girl, Rosalie, a stunningly, indescribably beautiful blonde, and Jasper, the quiet charismatic blonde. He was six-feet-three and muscular, but lean. The three that were still students were small impish Alice, with short spikey black hair, Edward, six-feet-two, slender and slightly muscular, his hair was a bronze-reddish color, and Bella, who was much different than the others. The previous made up the Cullens, five teens that were adopted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme, both obviously way too young to have teenage children. The whole family shared the similar appearance of pale, marble-like skin that glistened in the sun and they all looked extremely attractive. Bella Swan however, was normal. It wasn't that she was ugly; she just didn't match up with the others. She was five-feet-four, short for her age, with long brown hair, a heart-shaped face, and big brown eyes. She was whiter than most people (despite originating in Phoenix, Arizona) but not pale like the Cullens. The difference between the Cullens and Bella (and every other human being on Earth) was only known to the eight of them and Maxi, who had stumbled upon the truth not long after she had moved to Forks.

As said before, Maxi's dad was a Power Ranger. Although he didn't adopt her until the year 2000, she had grown up in Angel Grove—during all those years when Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, then the Machine Empire, the space pirate Divatox, and Astronema, heir to the UAE (United Alliance of Evil) invaded Earth—and then spent a year in Reefside—which was targeted by Mesogog, a dinosaur-freak who wanted not to take over the world (surprisingly) but to revert Earth back to its prehistoric ages. Maxi knew all the weirdness and exactly what to look for. That was how she found out the Cullens' secret. Maxi's gift of observation proved to make her a great detective. Actually, it was more that she happened to witness them while they ate. See, the Cullen's weren't exactly…_human_. They were the undead; not zombies, but vampires. The "_cold ones_", as they were called by the Quileute tribe down in La Push. They possessed superhuman strength, speed, and sense, and could keep still like a statue. Besides Bella Swan, Edward's human girlfriend, and the Quileute werewolves, Maxi was the only person in Forks that know their secret. She never even told her dad.

"Relax, I just want to play," Emmett replied.

"Play what?" Maxi asked nervously.

"Something where you don't come in contact with her," Rosalie warned him.

"Fine," he huffed, "how about, uh…Frisbee?"

Maxi shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Just then an all-too-familiar six-tone beep rang out. Immediately, Maxi clasped her hand over the silver watch on her left wrist, which if you look closely, isn't really a watch. She swallowed, hoping no one would notice. Too late, the others had already heard.

"What was that?" Sophia asked.

"Nothing," Maxi lied, but it rang again, muffled by her hand.

"It came from your watch," Lily pointed out. Maxi sighed inwardly. Why did her friends choose now to be so attentive?

"Oh, uh, well, it's…an alarm!" Maxi stuttered.

"An alarm for what?" Jared asked suspiciously.

"Oh duh!" Alice cried, smacking herself on the forehead with her palm as if she had just remembered something important. "Maxi has an orthodontist appointment today!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Maxi said, going along with it. "I forgot! It's a good thing I set the alarm, then." She turned to Emmett and added, "I guess I can't play with you today."

Emmett looked crestfallen. Even Maxi couldn't tell if he was acting or not.

"I better go," she said as her wrist device beeped again.

"All right," Austin said, though he looked (and sounded) unconvinced. "We'll see you later Maxi. Come on guys." And the four of them left.

"Thanks Alice," Maxi sighed in relief as soon as they were out of earshot, the rest of them hurrying over to a corner of the school.

"No problem," she replied cheerfully. "But why is it beeping?"

Since the Cullens had told her about their secret, Maxi too had told them hers. They knew about her dad's past as a Power Ranger, and the fact that the thing Maxi wore on her left wrist was not a watch, but a wrist communicator and teleportation system her dad's old friend and teammate, super genius Billy Cranston had invented back in 1993, when they had first become Rangers. When Tommy had gone on that mission to the moon in 2002 with nine other Red Rangers, he had left his communicator with her in case of an emergency. She's been wearing it ever since.

"I don't know," Maxi replied frantically, obviously freaking out. "I've had this thing for four years, it's never beeped before!"

"Well don't just stand there, answer it!" Bella urged.

"She's right, it could be an emergency," Jasper agreed.

Maxi nodded in agreement. Shakily, she brought her arm up to her mouth and pressed the receive button. "Go ahead, I read you."


	2. Chapter 2

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

Ch. 2

"Oof!" Maxi landed with a thud. Groaning, she pushed herself up to her feet, dusting off the grass and dirt that were sticking to her clothes. She looked around to find herself in an entirely unfamiliar surrounding. There was a large tree next to her and across the street were a row of buildings. A colorful one caught her eye. _Rock Porium_ its sign read. Wincing as she realized she had probably sprained her ankle, Maxi hobbled over to what turned out to be a record shop. Someone in there should be able to help her, she figured. But what she saw inside gave her quite a surprise.

"Whoa!" she gasped. The place was flooded with not only people, but…mythical creatures as well. There were goblins and fairies and nymphs and what-not, some working as employees, wearing those purple shirts Maxi guessed were the uniform, others shopping, fingering through the CDs and stuff. Automatically, she dropped down to a defensive stand that her dad and godfather, Jason Lee Scott, had thought her to do. When a hand fell on her shoulder from behind her, she flipped the being without even thinking.

"Hey!" cried a voice of the being she had thrown down. The shop went silent. Everybody turned to look. They saw a strange, unfamiliar little girl standing just inside the entrance, but she didn't see them. She was too busy staring at the creature on the floor in front of her, her jaw hanging open. The creature was—Maxi wasn't going to lie—an ugly one. He had a huge crooked nose and large sharh ears. He had so much hair covering his face, there was enough to make a wig without balding him.

"Phineas!" exclaimed a guy as five teens rushed over to them. They all wore the purple shirt uniform, like the befallen being. Four of them bent to help him up while the fifth, a pink-haired punk-like girl, marched over to Maxi.

"What were you doing?!" she demanded.

"Sorry, I was surprised," Maxi replied. "Where I come from, aliens were the bad guys. I see it's different here. I'm sorry."

Maxi could tell the girl was going to say something, but another girl, one with long brown hair came up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Forget it Sis, she seems genuinely sorry." The second girl turned to Maxi. "My name is Madison Rocca, this is my twin sister, Vida."

"Hi Madison, I'm Maxi Oliver," the little girl replied, shaking her hand.

"The name's Xander, Xander Bly," said the guy whose uniform said he was the manager in an Australian accent.

"I'm Chip Thorn," added the red-head.

"I'm Nick Russell," said the first guy. "And this is Phineas. He's not an alien."

"I'm truly sorry Phineas," Maxi said, bowing slightly as she was taught as a way to show respect. Maxi was probably one of the most respectful kids you can find, mainly because she was learning so many different kinds of martial arts. "I ask for your forgiveness."

"Oh you're forgiven," the creature replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It takes more than that to hurt me."

"Speaking of you," Maxi said. "Do you mind me asking…_what _are you? I mean, since you're _not_ an alien."

"Me? I'm a troblin, half troll, half goblin, hated by both."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the little girl said, putting a hand on the troblin's shoulder. "My parents didn't want me either. I lived in a shelter for four years."

"I'm sorry," Phineas replied.

"I'm not," Maxi said. "'Cause now I've been adopted by Tommy, who I know loves me like his own. And all his friends, they've become my family and I wouldn't trade that for the world. There _is_ a silver lining for every cloud."

"You said you weren't from here," Nick said. "Where are you from then?"

"Well, I _was_ from Angel Grove, and then my dad and I moved to Reefside. I was in Forks before I got here. Speaking of which, where_ is_ here?"

"You're in Briarwood now," Chip told her.

"Briarwood," Maxi murmured. "Where have I heard that name before? Briarwood…Briarwood…That's it!" Her face brightened when she realized it, "The home to the most recent team of Power Rangers!" Although Tommy had wanted to keep away from anymore Ranger stuff, he couldn't pry Maxi away with all his might. Power Rangers were extra important to her because it was through a Power Ranger that she had met Tommy and became his daughter. Even without her dad, Maxi kept tabs on Ranger activity through Andros, the KO-35 Ambassador.

"Yeah, we're the Mystic Force," Vida said.

"I'm guessing you five are the Rangers then," Maxi said, noting their color choice of apparel.

"Yeah," Nick nodded. "There are more of us though."

"No secret identities?" Maxi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not when you end up demorphing in front of the whole city during the final battle," Madison replied.

"Ah, just like the Space Rangers," Maxi said, nodding in the memory. She had been there during the last battle against Astronema's forces (later nicknamed "Battle of UAE" by the Rangers). Although she had been really young then (being barely three-years-old) she couldn't forget the memory even if she tried. When those civilians that tried to help the Rangers by saying she was one and Ecliptor, Astronema's right-hand man (or should I say, robot), didn't believe them and tried to shoot her down with his lasers, she was standing a bit too close. She was pulled away in the nick of time by a boy named Justin Stewart, who became her best friend. Through him, she met the Space Rangers, who were his friends from high school (Maxi was surprised to find the 12-year-old to be a sophomore), and it was he who introduced her to his old friend Tommy.

"You know Power Rangers from the past?" Chip asked excitedly, breaking Maxi's train of thought.

"I grew up in Angel Grove, the origins of the Power Rangers," the little girl replied.

"There were Ranger teams in a lot of other cities as well," Madison pointed out.

"Like the Lightspeed Rescue team, government-funded for public service."

"You sure know a lot about Power Rangers," Xander noted.

"_Every_ kid in Angel Grove knows a lot about the Power Rangers," Maxi told him. _Just not as much as I do_, she added silently. "The Rangers were there for six years!"

"Wow, whoever that team was, I sure feel sorry for them," Nick said. "And we thought one year was bad," he added to his teammates.

"They weren't all the same people!" Maxi told him. "When it was time for a Ranger to move on with his or her life, then a right replacement is found to take their place."

"Okay, now you know _too_ much about Power Rangers," Vida said, getting suspicious again.

"Well…" Maxi internally smacked herself. _Me and my big mouth_, she thought. _I shouldn't have said that!_

"Well…?" the Pink Mystic Ranger urged.

"Is there somewhere else we can discuss this?" Maxi asked, leaning in as she lowered her voice. Even though people here, humans and non-humans alike, already knew the identity of their Rangers and were no longer paying attention to the group, one of the agreements of all the Rangers was to never allow any Ranger's identity to be revealed. Maxi didn't want to say anything about them or her connection with them while they were out in the open, but she also had a feeling only they can help her now and to do that she would have to earn their trust, which meant she would have to tell them.

The teens looked at each other, then back at the little girl. She didn't seem dangerous, but then again, she did flip Phineas. She looked innocent, but looks can be deceiving. Can they trust her? She did know a lot about Power Rangers, so she can't be that bad, right?

"Okay, follow us," Madison said, nodding. She started outside and the others followed. Maxi limped after them.

"Are you okay?" Xander asked when they reached the tree across the street and the girl was barely halfway.

"I think I twisted my ankle," Maxi replied.

"Nick, help her. Maybe Clare can fix her up later," Madison said.

The Red Mystic Ranger nodded in agreement. He walked back and picked up the little girl, holding her as if she was a small child (which she was, in size).

"Let's go," he said, rejoining his friends.

"Hey Maxi, you ever tree-traveled before?" Chip asked.

"No. What is it?" the little girl asked, interested.

"You're about to find out," the red-head grinned, and to Maxi's disbelief, he walked right through the tree!

"Whoa!" she gasped. "How did he do that?"

"Do what?" Nick asked innocently and Maxi realized they had all crossed through the tree. Now, they were in a completely different place. A forest it seemed like, one with super tall, yet thin trees. The place was kind of a dull gray, it gave Maxi the creeps. The five teens began walking in a way that told her the idea that they have been here many times before and knew exactly where they were going. She relaxed a bit until she noticed that they were walking into a dragon-shaped root with large red spheres for eyes. She tensed visibly when the mouth closed, engulfing them in darkness. But that only lasted for a short time, 'cause the next thing she knew, Maxi found herself in what she figured was the Mystic Force's base of operations.

"Maxi," Madison said, noticing the girl's awe. "Welcome to Rootcore."


	3. Chapter 3

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 3

"You are needed in Briarwood," came a kiddie voice Maxi recognized immediately. "Prepare for teleportation."

And then a flash began to glow around her.

"Don't worry, we'll cover for you," Edward promised. She nodded and was gone…

"And then I landed outside by that tree we walked through," Maxi said, concluding her tale. After arriving in Rootcore, the five teens introduced Maxi to Nick's mom, their mentor and sorceress, Udonna, her niece, former-apprentice and now full sorceress, Clare, their teacher and sixth Ranger, Daggeron, and his teacher, Nick's dad, and former-enemy, Leanbow. The ten of them sat around the big round table in the middle of the base and talked. She told them about her past and her relationship with the Rangers of the past and had just finished telling them about how she had got to Briarwood.

"He said you were needed here?" Udonna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's what I heard," Maxi shrugged.

"And then you just **poofed** here?" Xander asked.

"I kinda **zapped**, but yeah, basically."

"Why do you think we need help?" Maddie asked. "The Master's already been defeated. Even the people of the forest and the people of the city are co-existing peacefully. What could possibly be wrong?"

"And so wrong that we need outside help?" Vida added.

"Do you know who that voice belonged to?" Daggeron asked Maxi. "Maybe it's a trap."

Maxi shook her head. "I'd recognize that voice in my sleep. There's no way it could be a mistake, unless he thought I was…" she gasped.

"What? What is it?" Nick asked.

"Dad!" Maxi exclaimed. "He was trying to send my dad here, because this communicator used to belong to him. And if he needed my dad, then something is _definitely_ up."

"What do you think it is?" Leanbow asked.

"I don't know, but there's one thing I should've tried the moment I drop-landed here," Maxi replied. She brought up the communicator and pressed one of the buttons, not knowing the combinations that specified to each Ranger. After a while, a controlled voice came through.

"This is Jason, I read you."

"Uncle Jase!" Maxi cried in relief.

"Lori? What are you doing?" Jason replied in confusion. "You know you're not supposed to be playing with the communicators."

"I'm not playing, Uncle Jase," Maxi told him. "I need your help."

Jason's tone changed immediately. "Where are you? I'll be right there."

"I'm in Briarwood, with the Mystic Force Rangers. Something weird is going on and I think we should round up the rainbow," the little girl answered, using the term she had made up for getting all the past Power Rangers together.

"All of them?"

Maxi took a moment to think about it. If this had caused them to send her to this city with such haste, it had got to be something big. She nodded, though Jason had no chance of seeing that. "All of them," she confirmed. "You start with Zordon's team, and I'll try to get a hold of the rest."

"Okay," came Jason's reply. "Should we drive up to Briarwood then?"

"I dunno, can you still teleport?"

"I was just wondering if we should come morphed."

Maxi looked at the Mystics, who were all watching her. "No," she decided. "I don't think you need to morph yet. I'm not even sure what the problem is, but I just wanted everyone to be here, just in case."

"Good thinking, Lori. I'll be there as soon as I get in contact with the others."

"Hope to see you soon, Uncle Jase," Maxi replied before signing off. She looked back at the Mystics. "I have a really bad feeling about this," she informed them.

Jason had been teaching a karate class at the Youth Center which he now owns. When his communicator sounded, he froze and ended up flat on his back, which knocked him back to reality. He quickly dismissed his students, hurried to the back room and answered the call. Surprised was not enough to describe his feeling when he heard Maxi's voice. But the leader in him helped him to remain calm and listen to what his goddaughter had to say. Immediately after they disconnected, he hurried home.

"Trini!" he called, slamming the front door close behind him. "Trini!"

"Mom's in the basement, Dad!" his 14-year-old adoptive son, Tristan, shouted from his room.

"Thanks!" Jason shouted back to him and headed downstairs. The basement was a lab for Trini, a place for her to make her inventions. There was also a hidden vault where they kept all their Ranger stuff. Sometimes, they would go in there to reminisce on the old days. However, when he found his wife, she was bent over her new machine.

"Trini!" Jason had to yell to be heard of its whirring.

"What?" the original Yellow Ranger asked him, turning her new invention off.

"It's time to take out the old phonebook," he replied simply. Trini understood immediately.

"Are you sure?" she asked, gripping his arm nervously. Jason only nodded.

"I need a ride, and I need it fast," Maxi said to the Mystics.

"Where are you going?" Vida asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the phone numbers of all the other Rangers," Maxi explained, "but I do know where they're stationed. I need to get around to them as soon as possible."

"I'll take you," Nick volunteered. "The two of us could use my motorcycle; it'll be the quickest way. And then the others could be here to contact us if anything happens."

"That's a good idea," Leanbow agreed nodding. And having the most experience of them all (not to mention being the oldest), no one was going to argue with him. Nick nodded back and beckoned for Maxi to follow him. She got up and immediately fell on the floor with a cry of pain.

"Ah! My ankle!" she winced, forgetting about her injury after the hours of talking.

"Clare, can't you do something to help her?" Madison asked.

"I think so," Clare nodded. She thought for a moment, then waved her hands and said some words Maxi couldn't identify. At once the pain was gone. The little girl sighed in relief and got up.

"Thanks Clare," she nodded at the sorceress. Clare smiled back. Maxi turned to Nick. "Let's go, we don't have time to lose."

"Right," Nick agreed. "We'll be back as soon as we can. If anything comes up--"

"We'll call you," Daggeron finished for him. Nick nodded and left Rootcore with Maxi.

"So, where to first?" the Red Wizard asked the little girl after walking through the first tree they saw and reappearing across the street from Rock Porium.

"The closest from here is Mariner Bay. The Lightspeed team is public, so it'll be easiest to find them."

"If you say so," Nick nodded, tossing her a spare helmet.

Maxi didn't know how long it took for them to get to Mariner Bay. For one thing, her watch didn't tell time—it wasn't even a watch. And secondly, she had fallen asleep on the back of Nick's motorcycle. Even though all this had happened in one afternoon, it felt more like a week. She found herself being gently shaken awake by Nick as they were parked under a tree. It was dark out, probably around the middle of the night by now.

"How did you stay awake?" Maxi asked him as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"A spell," he answered as she stiffly got of the bike. "Where are we headed?"

"Give me a sec," Maxi told him, holding up a finger. She looked around, it was dark, but she could still make out her surroundings thanks to the street lights. "I don't know where the Rangers live, but Carter's a firefighter, so our best bet is the check the station."

"All right," Nick nodded. "Is that the fire station, over there?" he asked, pointing.

"Good eye, Nick," Maxi replied. "Let's go."

The two of them walked to the fire station, leaving the motorcycle there. No one would dare steal anything with Power Rangers policing the city. It took them a minute or two to decide how to approach the station, anyone who would be inside was probably sleeping, that is, if they hadn't gone home already.

"How 'bout we just knock?" Nick asked, looking up at the big red garage doors.

"We can't do that! It'll wake up the whole city!" Maxi exclaimed.

"Then what? Set off the smoke alarms?"

"That doesn't seem very nice. We should only do that in emergencies."

"I thought this _was _an emergency."

"Good point. But still, let's not scare the poor people. You have magic, right? Why don't you just open those doors for us to sneak in?"

"I guess I can do that," Nick said, pulling out his cell-phone-shaped-wand Mystic Morpher and punched in a code. The red garage door inched upwards enough for the two of them (with Nick ducking his head) to enter, and then drop gently back down again.

"Can you believe I actually _don't _know a light spell?" Nick asked as they tried to maneuver around the bulky fire truck in the dark. "Maybe I should've studied up like Maddie."

"No worries, I got this one," Maxi replied. She dug into her pocket and pulled out one of those key-chains with a flashlight. "It may be old fashion, but it still gets the job done." Nick stifled a chuckle.

They made it around the truck with only a thin stream of white LED light to guide them. They came to a fireman's pole and stared up at it.

"After you," Maxi said.

"Ladies first," Nick replied. "I'll even give you a boost. Stand on my shoulders, and you're already halfway up."

"But I won't be able to pull you up."

"I'm a Ranger remember, we've been through all those physical tests."

"If you say so," Maxi replied and allowed Nick to pick her up. Like he said, standing on his shoulders, she did end up halfway up the pole. With an extra push off of his solid stance, she grabbed the pole and heaved herself up. Luckily, Tommy and Jason had kept her physically in shape, and plus her light weight, she easily made it up. Nick followed soon afterwards and they continued through the station.

"Hey Maxi, I think this is it," Nick called in a whisper. Maxi trotted over to where he was pointing. She brought up the light so she could read the sign: _Chief's Quarters_. A little under it, thinner letters: _Carter Grayson_.

"Yep, that's him," Maxi nodded. "I hope he and Dana aren't…" she trailed off, rapping her knuckles three times on the door. Then she stepped back and waited next to Nick, glancing up at him. When they were about to give up, they heard a scuffle of footsteps and then the door opened. A tall Caucasian man stood there, squinting at them through tired, droopy eyes, his blonde hair disarrayed from sleeping. He was wearing red—unsurprisingly.

"Carter?" Maxi asked. The sound seemed to wake him up.

"How did you two get in here?!" he demanded non-too-softly.

"Carter? What's going on?" Maxi heard a woman's voice say in the room.

"Dana?" she asked. "I need to talk to you and Carter."

A young Caucasian woman appeared behind Carter. She had short, ear-length, pale blonde hair and wore pink. She too seemed sleepy, but was attentive and curious. "Lian?" she asked with uncertainty.

Maxi nodded. "Good to see I'm not interrupting anything," she said. "This is Nick Russell, Red Mystic. I'll get into the details once everyone is together, but long story short, I suspect something's going on, something big. I'm trying to gather everyone and have them join up in Briarwood."

"That's the most recent place with its team of active Rangers, right?" Dana asked.

"Right," Maxi nodded. "I'm sorry for showing up in the middle of the night, but this is important. I can feel it."

Carter nodded. "Tommy's told us about your uncanny instincts. We're ready to do whatever it is you need us to do."

"I just want to round up the rainbow. Can you contact the rest of your team and bring them to Briarwood?" Maxi asked.

"We can be there by noon," Dana said.

"That would be awesome," Maxi said. "Now, the population of Briarwood is…well, let's just say it's a _very_ diverse city. If you can, go to Rock Porium, it's a record store where the Rangers work. They should be able to identify you, but if not, just say you're Lightspeed. If you can't find the place, then uh…go ask one of the more, um…_different_ citizens to bring you to Rootcore. There, you'll meet a couple of sorceresses and some knights, they'll explain everything."

"Okay," Carter nodded. "We'll be right on it."

Maxi nodded back. "I just hope this reunion is unnecessary," she replied.

"Good luck," Dana said as Maxi's tiny fist touched Carter's big one.

"And may the Power protect you."


	4. Chapter 4

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 4

Dawn was breaking when Nick and Maxi returned to the motorcycle. They stopped at a Shell for gas and some refreshments, coffee and doughnut for Nick, and a Coke and bagel for Maxi. The little girl begged the teen to allow her to drive so he could rest after a night without sleep but he refused. It's too suspicious in broad daylight, he told her. But when she continued to pester him, he begrudgingly promised her to drive that night.

Their next destination was Silver Hills. Only Wes and Eric live there as the co-Commanders of the Silver Guardians, but as Eric was in a relationship with Taylor, they were connected to the entire Wild Force team, which would really narrow their search down. And the Silver Guardians were also an easy target, because they too, act like police. In fact, the car Wes and Eric drive is a large black SUV with police lights on its roof. And that's how they found them.

"There!" Maxi yelled so suddenly, Nick nearly swerved into a pole.

"Don't do that!" he shouted back, breathing heavily.

"Sorry," Maxi rushed an apology, keeping her eyes on the distinctive SUV. "That's the one," she said, pointing to it. "We gotta catch up to it."

"All right," Nick said, revving the engine. "You better hold on tight then," he warned and the motorcycle shot forward. Maxi had to clench Nick's leather jacket with both hands to keep from flying off. When they made it next to the SUV, she carefully reached one hand up and tapped their window. The tinted glass rolled down automatically.

"Eric," the little girl greeted. The hard man stared at her for a moment. It was a good thing he wasn't the one driving.

"Lian," he finally recognized.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Hey Wes, how you doing?"

The driver in the red beret glanced at her when she spoke his name, returned his eyes to the road, and then whipped his head around a moment later when the scene sunk in. You could see shock and confusion written on both their faces.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Wes cried.

"Look, as cool as it is to talk like this," Maxi said. "I think we should sit down…or at least not be driving 60 miles an hour on a car-flooded freeway."

"Right," Eric agreed. He looked forward and pointed. "Take that next exit and turn into the first parking lot you see. It's a Starbucks, I think."

"Okay, see you there," Maxi nodded and Nick stepped on the gas. Eric rolled up the window and Wes followed the motorcycle closely. They talked in the parking lot, leaning against the SUV. Maxi told them the same thing as she did Carter and Dana. They agreed to inform the Wild Force team and would be there within several hours. With that settled, Nick and Maxi headed for the next place: Blue Bay Harbor.

The Ninja Storm team was one that Tommy had worked with before, so Maxi was actually friends with them. They and every team after them were considered the younger group, they were called "_teens_" even though some of them were no longer in their teenage years. It was because they were several years younger than their predecessors. And to push that, they were more of Maxi's friends than Tommy's, who the rest of the Rangers were friends with, since they were the "_adults_". Coincidently, she knew that all six of the Wind, Thunder, and Samurai Rangers happened to be in their hometown (well, not exactly where the Thunder Ninjas originated from, but after a year of protecting a city from an evil space ninja, you kind of call it home, no matter where you were actually born in), with Blake taking a break from his professional motocross racing and Hunter visiting from the Thunder Ninja Academy up north. And she knew their local hangout, having been there herself many times before. She directed Nick to one her favorite places in Blue Bay Harbor: Storm Chargers.

"This place is pretty cool," Nick said, seeing the dirt bikes that went in and out of the extreme sports shop as they entered it.

"Dude, focus," Maxi replied, smacking his stomach with the back of her hand. "But it is an awesome place, huh?"

"Yep," Nick agreed, nodding.

The shop was its usual busyness. There were plenty of people around, looking at surfboards, motocross gear, or the limited stock of snorkeling stuff. Some were already looking at swimwear, getting a late start for the summer or just keeping an eye out for a spare. Maxi could see Kelly, the red-head owner of Storm Chargers. She was a good friend to all six Rangers and often gave them comfort and advice (without ever finding out their identities, unlike Hayley). She had also given jobs to Blake and Hunter when they decided to stay and join the Rangers. Dustin also worked for her, as a mechanist while the Bradley brothers had been stock boys, and though the latter had left Blue Bay Harbor, the Earth-powered Wind Ninja still worked there. Maxi could see him in his usual place in the back, bent over a dirt bike with a greasy towel thrown over one shoulder. Of course, he was wearing yellow. Sitting on the counter, wearing a gray tank top with bright red shorts was another familiar face…or back, since he was actually facing the other way and was talking to Dustin. On the other side of the room were the others, sitting on the couch and watching the TV in the lounge, which Kelly only allows to play sport-related things. One Caucasian girl with long blonde hair, wearing light blue like Maddie, one big Caucasian guy, wearing crimson, and two Asian guys, one small and wearing navy while the other wore glasses and dressed in green.

"That them?" Nick asked, looking at the four chatting away on the couch.

"Most of them," Maxi replied. "The other two are over there." She pointed to the two guys in the opposite corner. "Why don't you go over them and introduce yourself while I get the boys?"

"All right, it's your call," Nick shrugged and walked away. Maxi headed over to her two friends. She leaned casually against the counter Shane was sitting on and rapped her knuckles on the countertop. The guy froze mid-sentence (no, mid-_word_) and slid off his seat, turning slowly to see who it was.

"Lian!" he sighed in relief. "Girl, don't you know you're not supposed to sneak up on people?"

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Maxi replied, clapping his hand. "You shouldn't turn your back on others, you should know better."

"She has a point," Dustin pointed out. He was about to clap her hand too, but they pulled back when he saw the black grease it was covered in.

"Shut up," Shane replied, shoving his best friend's shoulder playfully.

"Why don't you guys come over? I have something to talk to you guys about, _all_ of you guys." Maxi turned and walked away. Shane and Dustin looked at each other, shrugged, and followed her.

"Lian!" the four others exclaimed upon seeing her.

"Hey guys," the little girl replied, nodding as Shane and Dustin fell into seat beside their teammates. "Sorry to cut the reunion short, but I'm here on business."

"This doesn't sound good," Cam said to his neighbor, who happened to be Hunter. The elder Bradley nodded in agreement.

"I take it you already met Nick?" Maxi asked, waving at the Red Wizard who was standing next to her. The four nodded. Shane and Dustin introduced themselves and the three of them shook hands.

"Long story short, something's gonna happen in Briarwood, Nick's city, and I want to gather all the Raners there."

"Is it that bad?" Dustin asked.

"I was teleported with no briefing on school grounds with only a '_You're needed in Briarwood'_ as an explanation, and I'm pretty sure they thought I was my dad."

"If they were aiming for your dad, then it must be something really bad," Cam said. Maxi nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. That's why I've been traveling, rounding up the rainbow to Briarwood, just in case."

"We'll be there," Hunter assured her. "Just tell us when."

"As soon as possible would be good."

"We can leave immediately," Shane said. Maxi nodded.

"I have one more stop to make, then we're heading back. Just go to Rock Porium, it's a record shop. The Mystic Force Rangers, Nick's teammates, should be working there--"

"If they're not, just ask the owner, Toby," Nick added. "Or any of the employees. They were purple shirts as uniforms. Our identities our out in our city, so just ask them to bring you to the Power Rangers."

"All right," Dustin said. "Let me just tell Kelly I have to go."

"And I'll have Cyber Cam watching the computer mainframe, just in case," Cam added.

"Good idea," Maxi agreed. "I have a feeling we're gonna need all the help we can get. See you as soon as we can."

"You would make a great Ranger someday, Lian," Tori said with a smile, putting a comforting hand on the little girl's shoulder.

"Thanks Tor," Maxi smiled back and left with Nick. There was only one more place for them to go and it was her turn to drive. She gripped the handlebar tightly and heaved a heavy sigh as she sped for Reefside.


	5. Chapter 5

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 5

"What's here in this house?" Nick asked as they dismounted the bike. It was 3:00am, and the two of them were worn out from their constant travel in the past two days. Nick didn't understand why they were stopping at this house in the middle of nowhere. Whoever the owner is, they obviously didn't like neighbors, or people, especially strangers that showed up in the middle of the night…right?

"It was our old house," Maxi replied, leading the teen up the steps and to the door. She dug into her pocket and fished out her keys, slipping the right one into the lock and turning. The door swung open to reveal darkness. Maxi stepped inside and Nick followed reluctantly.

"You guys didn't sell it when you moved?" he asked.

"Are you serious? With the Dino Lab as the basement? No way! How could we risk that?"

"Then what do you do with this house?"

"Hayley drops by to use the computers downstairs. She kinda house-sits…permanently."

Nick laughed. Maxi went back to the kitchen and opened the fridge as if she wasn't coming back to the house after moving away for two years, but was just returning home after a long day. Home. In all the places she had lived in, for some strange reason, Reefside felt like her true home. Maybe because it was the place where Tommy had brought them after the adoption had been finalized, making it the first house she lived in with a family.

"You hungry, Nick?" she called over to him.

"Uh, sure, what do you have?"

"There's bread and plenty of cold cuts. We can make a sandwich."

"Okay," Nick said, joining her in the kitchen, flicking on the lights as he entered.

"Man, this place has more food than it did when we lived here," Maxi said, tossing the sandwich ingredients on the island.

"You sure we should be eating this stuff?" Nick asked hesitantly, looking at the food. "I mean, it doesn't belong to us."

"Fine, if it makes you feel any better, we'll leave them ten bucks. That's more than enough for two rough sandwiches."

Nick agreed, saying that was fair, but before they even touched the bread, someone came in and prepared to attack. Luckily both had good instincts and jumped away in time.

"Whoa! Trent?" Maxi gasped when the lights flickered on and she saw who it was. A Latino teen was standing in the doorway, his black hair messy and his white clothing wrinkled. Obviously, he had been sleeping not too long ago.

"Lian?" he asked upon recognizing the little girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the very same question," Maxi replied, her heart rate slowly decelerating.

"I live here now," he answered simply. "I emailed Dr. O….And knowing him, he probably forgot to tell you," Trent added when he saw her shock.

"He probably forgot to even _check_ his email," Maxi replied and Trent laughed. All of Tommy's old teammates and Maxi liked to joke and harass Tommy about how forgetful he was. Maxi's dad was a fun man to bug, and she never got into trouble, he liked to give threats but he never really punishes anyone, Conner was the perfect example for that. If he had, the red-clad soccer star would be rotting under his grave by now.

"So what are you doing here?" Trent asked Maxi again as the three of them relaxed and took seats at the kitchen table.

"Well, I'm not just visiting, if that's what you're asking," the little girl replied.

"You're moving back?" Trent asked excitedly.

"Not exactly."

"Then what?"

"Let's just say, Dad needs to learn that you can't escape from being a Ranger, no matter how far you go."

After their little snack, Maxi and Nick finally got some sleep. They awoke at 11:00 by the sun creeping in through the blinds. Maxi couldn't believe how good she felt after a nap in her old room. There was something about this house that just relaxed her. She woke up her two friends and the three of them headed into town to find the others. Well, actually, Trent called them and told them to meet at Hayley's Café. Ethan had taken up a job working with Anton at Mercer Industries, some kind of electronic thing that his friends didn't understand. Conner had a soccer club for kids. Kira, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh right, she's touring," Trent remembered.

"Touring?" Maxi asked.

"Yeah, she's the opening act for this one famous singer, uh, what's-her-name," Ethan told her.

"There's a singer called _What's-her-name_?" Conner asked incredulously. Everyone sighed in exasperation. Ethan smacked him upside the head.

"I think her name was uh…Tanya, I think. Tanya S-something," Trent said.

"Tanya Sloan!" Maxi exclaimed.

"

Yeah, that's right," Trent nodded.

"I never saw you as a music person," Nick said to the little girl. "And I work at a record shop."

"Tanya's more than a singer," she replied. Then she laughed. "It's kind of ironic Kira's opening for another Yellow."

"Wait," Ethan said, lowering his voice. "Are you saying that Tanya Sloan is a…is one of us?"

"Zeo Ranger II—Yellow," Maxi answered. "When Aisha, the second Mighty Morphin Yellow found the Yellow Zeo Sub-Crystal in Africa, she decided to stay there to work with the animals, so she passed on the Ranger powers to a young girl there: Tanya." The guys were staring at her wide-eyed. "Why do you think there's no background information about her? She just showed up out of nowhere. Kat, the second Pink Mighty Morphin and Zeo Ranger I—Pink managed to persuade her parents to adopt her, to give her a place to stay."

"Wow," Conner said after a short silence.

Maxi nodded. "If Kira's with Tanya, then that means she should know. Uncle Jason said he was going to contact Zordon's team…but if you guys didn't know about Tanya, then she may not know either and then Tanya might not know about Kira…" Maxi trailed off and looked at Trent. "Can you call Kira? She is your girlfriend after all."

"All right," Trent agreed, fishing out his cell phone.

"Tell her to reveal herself to Tanya and follow her to Briarwod, we'll meet her there."

"Right," the White Drago Ranger nodded.

"Why are we going to Briarwood anyways?" Conner asked while Trent spoke to their missing teammate.

"I'll tell you later, I don't want to repeat myself too many times."

They nodded and remained silent. After finishing up with Kira, the five of them spoke to Hayley, Anton, and Elsa, telling the adults what they were doing and asking them to be on the watch for anything new. The three agreed, wished them good luck, and watched the teens head out of town.

Reefside wasn't far from Briarwood and they made it there in good time. They rushed off to Rootcore, not bothering to stop and check in with Rock Porium before running through the tree. As expected, everyone was already there, gathered around the large table. Nick's eyes grew wide, never had he seen so many people in Rootcore. If he didn't know better, he would've asked how they had all fit. Non-surprisingly, Tommy was in the front of the gang, literally pouncing on his daughter upon seeing her.

"**Maximilian Lorelai Oliver**!" he roared, lunging at her. It took three men to wrestle him down.

"Better start talking, Lori," Jason panted. He was practically sitting on top of Tommy. "I can't keep him down for long."

Looking down at her dad's face, Maxi swallowed nervously and quickly retold her tale to everyone present. They stared at her for a long time after she finished.

"Do you know what problem we're about to face?" Kat asked in her Australian accent. Maxi sighed and shook her head.

"Who teleported you here?" Tommy asked. He, Jason, Rocky, and Zack were sitting on the floor after their tussle. Maxi turned to him. That was one question she did know the answer to, one that she was absolutely sure about.

"Alpha."

Zordon's Rangers stared at her in shock, jaws hanging open. Adam was the first one to break the silence.

"Alpha? Are you sure?"

"Positive," Maxi nodded. "I can recognize that voice anywhere."

"But Alpha's--"

"On the Astro Megaship Mark II," Maxi answered, cutting off her dad, "Currently stationed on KO-35."

"We best call Andros then," Tommy said to the others. "See if he knows anything."

"You're right," Jason agreed, nodding. "Andros is usually the first to get the answers."

"Maybe it's because he's the one who shattered Zordon's energy tube," Rocky said.

"Or maybe it's because he's an alien," Zack added.

"Can we focus here?" Kim more or less demanded.

"You guys didn't contact Andros?!" Maxi exclaimed.

"I thought you were going to," Jason replied defensively. "You told me to get Zordon's Rangers and that you would get the rest."

"The Space Rangers _are_ Zordon's Rangers! They spent their whole quest searching for him!"

"But they weren't picked by Zordon," Jason argued. "The rest of us were."

"I thought you understood the phrase '_round up the rainbow_'?"

Trini sighed, shaking her head as she smacked her husband upside the head. "You should've contacted me instead," she said to Maxi.

"How was I supposed to know? Dad gave me this thing, but he never told me how to use it! I just pushed a button and Uncle Jase answered!"

Trini whirled around to glare at Tommy. He gulped visibly and backed away, raising his hands in innocence. "I forgot, sorry!" he cried.

"Seriously Tommy, this forgetfulness of yours," she replied. "It's like you've got young-people Alzheimer's or something."

"Dr. O's not _that_ young," Conner pointed out, earning him a glare from his former teacher and a smack upside the head by Kira. Maxi had to smile at that, as did Ethan and Trent. It was good to have her back.

"Focus!" shouted Kim, Zack, Adam, Aisha, Kat, and Tanya. The bickering friends shut up at once and looked over to Maxi, who for some reason was being seen as the leader in this mission. Well, if that's how they felt, she might as well seize it.

"All right, Adam, contact the Space Rangers. Trini, Justin, Cam, Ethan, can you guys figure out how to teleport them here? Man, I wish we brought Hayley along."

"Hey, why'd you choose Adam?" Jason asked.

"He's the closest one to them besides Justin, who I need for something else," Maxi answered. "And no offense, but he's the most reliable one out of any of us who know the team personally."

"Thank you," Adam smiled.

"And don't forget to also contact the Galaxy Rangers on Mirinoi," Maxi reminded him.

"Right," Adam nodded and stepped aside to speak to the far away Rangers. Maxi sighed.

"It's a shame Billy can't leave Aquitar, we could sure use him now," Kim said, trying to figure out what the four geniuses were doing and coming up with nothing.

"We can call him for help though!" Maxi cried, just realizing. "Wes! Eric! Your computer please?"

The co-Commanders of the Silver Guardians smirked. "I knew it," Eric said, swinging a silver case onto the table and opening it (he knew it was only a matter of time before their source of future technology was called upon; he even made a bet with Wes to see how long it would be before they do so). They took out the rods and set it up beside Udonna's crystal ball. They pressed several buttons to start it up and stepped aside for Maxi. The little girl wasn't exactly a genius, but she did know what to do to contact the alien planets, Andros had taught her to do so; thanks to Justin, she had become very close to the Space team. In the beginning, Andros and Ashley were going to adopt her, but then it was discussed and decided that they should be married and that Tommy made a better choice because he was more financially stable and just a tiny bit older than the others two.

It took her a while, not being used to the future technology, but eventually, Billy's face appeared on screen. They filled him in and he said he would be there whenever they needed him, then he proceeded with helping Trini, Justin, Cam, and Ethan with the teleportation system. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the Space and Galaxy Rangers finally arrived in Rootcore.

"So what do we do now?" Cassie asked after they had been filled in. Everyone once again, turned to Maxi. She, herself, turned her back on them and looked up to the sky.

"Now, we wait."

Their wait wasn't long. Almost as soon as the words left Maxi's lips, the sky began to rumble. All 57 of them rushed outside to see what was happening. The sky that had been blue just a minute before was now completely covered with black clouds and blue lightning bouncing off them.

"Look!" several of them yelled, pointing upwards. They all looked…and gasped. There was a face there, in the clouds. When he spoke, the ground shook and thunder rumbled.

"Power Rangers!" he boomed in an almost sneering kind of way, "how nice of you to have gathered together. Now it saves me the time of hunting you down, one by one."

Maxi opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Luckily, now was the time her dad stepped in.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Tommy demanded.

"Me? I am Lord Atirdezz Asluper, your worst nightmare! I am here to destroy the Power Rangers and take over the world."

Jason smirked. "Do your worst!"

"Be careful what you wish for Rangers…" and the image faded. The black clouds followed and the blue sky reappeared.

"Well, at least he's normal," Tommy said.

"Yeah, not like that freak Mesogog," Ethan added.

"_Hey!_" Trent cried. He got defensive sometimes because his dad had been that villain's alter ego.

"Guys, I think we've looked over one very important detail," Justin said.

"What's that?" Danny asked. Maxi answered for Justin, for she had noticed also. When she spoke her voice was small, but grave.

"Atirdezz looked…_human_."


	6. Chapter 6

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 6

They spent the next day worrying. Who was this guy? Where had he come from? Maxi added one more question to her own list. Why did he look so familiar? But their thinking time wasn't long. That night, Udonna called the Rangers' attention to the Crystal Ball.

"What? What is it?" Kim asked.

"They're attacking," the old sorceress replied. "And they too, look human."

"If they're human, they can't do much damage, right?" Max asked.

Udonna just shook her head. "A whole block is already destroyed," she informed them.

"Then we've got work to do," Ryan said. The Rangers nodded.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason shouted.

"Mastadon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Saber-tooth Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Zeo Ranger I—Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II—Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III—Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV—Green!"

"Shift into Turbo!" Justin cried. "Storm Blaster, Turbo Power!"

"Let's Rocket!"

"Go Galatic!"

"Lightspeed, Rescue!"

"Titanium Power!"

"Time for Time Force!" said Wes.

"Quantum Power!" Eric said at the same time.

"Wild Access!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

And 51 Power Rangers ran off to battle. Mike and Karone both stayed behind, as did Leanbow and Udonna. Three of them would be back-up, in case the immensely large amount of Rangers needed help. Karone simply had given the powers back to Kendrix. Maxi joined the four in watching the Crystal Ball without even a blink of an eye throughout the whole battle, which did not end up well for the Rangers. They were being destroyed. Their enemies, though looked human, were far from it. They were super strong, being able to pick up cars and stuff and throwing them at the Rangers. They were lightning fast and nearly impossible to see. And, they were rock hard. The way the Rangers' blades just repelled off their bodies was shocking.

"This is so weird," Dustin said. "What are they?"

"I've never seen creatures like these before," Daggeron said. "And I've been around for over a thousand years!"

"Heck, I've been living for _3_000, but even I don't know what they are," Merrick said.

"This is not good," Tommy replied as he kept his defensive position, watching his fellow Rangers get the stuffing beaten out of them. From not-that-far-away his adoptive daughter was also watching, but from the safety of Rootcore. She slammed her small fist on the wooden table.

"Pull them out!" she cried as several Rangers seemed to have exploded. Urgently, Udonna and Clare uttered some magic words, and a seal appeared with two-and-a-half score of color-coded fighters tumbled onto the ground. None of them were in a good condition. Some worse than others, those who's powers had only recently been restored were weaker than those whose powers had never gone in the first place. Justin, the originals, the Wild Force Rangers, the Ninja Storm team, the Dino Thunder team, and the Mystics were in bad shape. Maxi stared worriedly at her dad as Mike and Karone hurried to help Clare with mixing a potion to heal the lesser wounds.

"That was very strange," Cole said, panting heavily, a hand clasped around his injured side. "Those…those…_things_, they looked human, yet they had no heart."

Maxi's ears perked on those last two words. She rewound the image of the attackers and Lord Atirddez Asluper in her head. _Of course!_ she realized. _Why didn't I see it before?!_

"What were they, exactly?" Xander asked, his Australian accent much like Kat's.

Maxi answered him with one word: "Vampires."


	7. Chapter 7

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 7

"No, they couldn't be vampires!" Chip said at once.

"Why not?" Maxi asked him.

"Vampires are supposed to be bat-like, you know, with wings and fangs and stuff."

"How do you know?"

"Well, we've fought vampires before," Maddie said.

"V was almost turned into one," Xander added.

"And don't forget Necrolai," Nick piped up. "She was the Queen of Vampires, and Leelee, the heir to that throne."

"The vampires of the Underworld are different from the vampires on Earth then, I guess," Maxi murmured, more to herself than anyone else, though the room was so quiet, they all heard.

"There are vampires on Earth?" Ryan asked. "Where?"

"They walk among us, their identities hidden. It's one of their few laws…ironically, just like the Power Rangers."

"How do you know this?" Mike asked.

"It's a long story, but once you know what you're looking for, then it's actually pretty obvious."

"You said that vampires on Earth are different," Chip said. "How so?"

"There are some very distinct things that mark a vampire. Number one is their eyes. Their irises deepen in color as they grow thirstier. The color of their eyes can also tell you if they can be friend or foe--"

"You can befriend a vampire?" Kelsey and Dana interrupted with wide-eyes.

"I wouldn't know all this if I didn't, now would I?" Maxi replied before continuing. "Number two, vampires look amazingly attractive, it's a trait that's supposed to help them attract prey, along with their delicious-smelling scent. Not that they really need either of those things. Vampires are faster than a speeding bullet and stronger than anything you've ever encounter. I'll bet they can lift a Megazord with one hand if they wanted to. I know for a fact that when a car crashes into a vampire, it's the car that goes to the 'yard. They are cold, smooth, and hard like marble, and in the sunlight, they sparkle like crystal.

"A vampire is the true living dead. That's why Cole couldn't hear a heartbeat, because their heart no longer beats. Vampires are immortals, but they will never grow. Whatever they looked like when they were…_changed_, that's how they'll look a year, a decade, or even a century later. Also, they contain no liquid. They cannot sweat or shed tears. They cannot sleep and have constant purple circles under their eyes to show their weariness…"

"The Cullens!" came a sharp gasp. Maxi already knew who had spoken. There was only one other person present that would know of them. She turned to look at her dad, who was leaning back against the bark wall, his head tilted upwards. His breathing, like his teammates, came in gasps.

"Yes, the Cullens are vampires," she admitted. "And I see that our enemies are vampires as well." Maxi put her left arm across her chest to support her right elbow, her chin in her hand. "I don't get it. If something like this was going to happen, Alice would've—Alice!"

Her hand flew to her pocket, wrenched out the cell phone Tommy had finally gotten her, and hit the speed dial. She paced back and forth impatiently for it to dial. The Rangers (and allies) watched her, not knowing what she was thinking, in silence, except for the occasional groans and winces in pain as Clare put mashed herbs on some injuries.

"Maxi," a familiar musical voice answered after barely one ring.

"Alice," Maxi retorted coolly. "You saw it, didn't you? And don't lie, I know you did. '_Alice is most prone to non-humans…like us_', Edward once said."

The impish vampire waited patiently on the other end of the line for the little girl to finish. When she had, she said, "Yes, I saw. I saw it the moment you flashed away."

"Then why didn't you tell me?!" Maxi demanded furiously. Unlike Bella, Maxi can easily be mad, and more importantly, _stay_ mad, at the Cullens.

"I thought you knew," Alice replied innocently.

"Yeah, right," Maxi said sarcastically. "But forget that, Alice, I need your help."

"Yes, I know," Alice answered. "As we speak, Edward and Carlisle are racing to Briarwood, faster than flying. We should be there in a matter of hours."

Maxi couldn't help but sigh in relief; her frustration with small shop-aholic had evaporated immediately. Instead, appreciation and thankfulness settled in. "Bless you, Alice."

Alice did not reply and the two of them simultaneously hung up, although Maxi could've sworn she heard her smile.

"Well? What is it? What's going on?" the Rangers asked when she turned around to face them. The unanimously selected leader raised a hand and they all quieted down to hear her answer.

"Help's on its way."

The Cullens, thanks to Edward's mind-reading and Alice's "_future-seeing_", found their way to Rootcore three hours after Maxi had stuffed her cell back into her pocket. The little girl had set about trying to help the wounded Rangers, but not really knowing what she could do to ease their pain. After a while, she settled with sitting down in front of the Time Force computer, trying to get into contact with Edenoi, after Andros had told her that Alpha had taken the Astro Megaship on a trip to visit his home planet. So far, she had no luck. When the coven arrived, they found themselves inside a hollow tree in a magical forest filled with nearly 60 people, not including themselves.

"Maxi." Carlisle's calm voice alerted the little girl of their presence. She introduced them to the Rangers and short greetings were exchanged. Chip was kept under constant glare of his teammates/friends/coworkers to keep him from saying anything that might offend their reinforcements. Maxi told the Cullens about the short-lived fight after they had taken seats around the table (the Rangers were either on the floor, the steps, or leaning against something).

"Who is he? Have you ever heard of him before?" Maxi asked Carlisle in the end.

The wise doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry Maxi, but I've never heard of a Lord Atirddez Asluper in my 300-odd years."

The little girl sighed, shaking her head. "I should've known. If Merrick and Princess Shayla's 3000 years amounted to nothing, then--"

The Cullens stared at the Lunar Wolf Ranger.

"He's 3000 years old?" Bella asked with eyes wide in surprise. Actually, the real surprise (at least to Maxi) was that Edward actually brought her along, knowing fully well that this was not a social visit, but a battlefront.

"He doesn't look old," Jasper commented.

"And he's not one of us," Emmett added.

"But Merrick and the Princess had been in an enchanted sleep for most of those years though," Alyssa said to Maxi, all the while answering the Cullens' questions.

"But still," the little girl replied glumly. Someone, she didn't know who, put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"So what do we do now?" Rocky asked. "What happens when they decide to attack again?"

"Honestly, I don't know. We fight them I guess. We can't let them take over the world," Maxi answered.

"But how so we defeat them?" Adam asked.

"There is only one way to destroy a vampire," Edward told them. "You have to tear them to shreds and burn the pieces."

"How do we do that when our weapons can barely hold them off?" Zack asked.

"You have us now," Alice answered simply.

"No offense," Tori said. "But there's at least a hundred of them, and only seven of you. Even if you match them in power, they outnumber you—and us, for that matter."

"Face it, this is hopeless. Our Ranger powers are powerless against the vampires. How are we going to defeat them without any powers?" Shane said.

Maxi turned to face him. "You just have to believe," she told him. "Aren't you the one who said '_We may not be Power Rangers, but we still have power_' to Lothor during the Battle of the Abyss of Evil? You can't give up." The little girl looked at all her friends. "None of us can. If we lose faith, then our world is doomed."

"But how can we kill the living dead?" Max asked.

"Like the way we destroy our monsters," Jason answered. "We blow them into smithereens."

"Right," Maxi agreed nodding. "Joel, contact Ms. Fairweather, have her begin developing new weapons to help us against the vampires. Jasper, go with him to explain to her the weaknesses of vampires and other things she may need to know." The two men nodded and left the room. Maxi turned to Trent. "Call Hayley and do the same. Esme, would you assist him please?"

"Of course, Maxi," the loving woman replied, nodding as she and Trent walked away.

"Have Hayley worked together with Anton and Elsa," Maxi added to Trent. "They could help, and even if they can't, I'm sure Mercer Industries can provide some sort of aid."

"Right," the teen nodded, taking out his cell phone.

"I'll call my father and get Bio-Lab started right away," Wes said before Maxi even opened her mouth to ask. She smiled thankfully at him. He returned the smile and also left the room for his phone call with Alice accompanying him.

"The new weaponry on KO-35 is still being tested," Zhane informed them. "But they should be ready soon."

"That's good," Maxi nodded along with the other Rangers. "Can someone check in with Billy? With his brains and the technological-advanced Aquitians, they should be a big help."

"I'll do it," Trini volunteered, walking over to the Time Force computer.

"And have the Alien Rangers on standby," Maxi added to her as she typed rapidly to connect to the distant planet. "I have a feeling we're going to need backup."

Trini nodded to show she heard, her eyes never moving from the holographic screen. Carlisle sat beside her, ready to tell Billy and the geniuses of Aquitar all that he knew that could help them create weapons to destroy this uprising army. Cole had gone to call Princess Shayla, to see if she could find out anything about Lord Atirdezz Asluper from the ancient Wild Zords. Cam had called Ninja Ops to check in with CyberCam and have him and Sensei check the ancient scrolls for information. Clare and the Mystics, with the help of anyone who wasn't hurt too badly, began digging through their many spell books to see if they could learn anything about vampires or a way to defeat them. With everyone hard at work, no one noticed when a little girl slipped away, retreating back to her own room.

Maxi plopped down on her bed, staring at the bark walls. Her mind was racing. Never had the Rangers ever had to defend the Earth from its own occupants. Usually, they fought against aliens, demons, mutants from the future, orgs from the past, experiments gone wrong, or an army of undead from the Underworld. Vampires, though no longer humans, had once call Earth their home—and should still do. With a heavy sigh, Maxi closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She did not understand why the others are looking at her to lead them in this mission. She was the youngest and least experienced of them all. Why did they bestow this responsibility on her, when they have so many great leaders among them, including the legendary Tommy Oliver and the Power Rangers' first Red and leader, Jason Lee Scott?

"It's quite simple really," said a soft musical voice.

Maxi didn't bother to turn her head. She knew who it was. Edward Cullen walked over and sat down at the foot of her bed. He had a smile on his face, for what reason, Maxi was unsure of. What she _was_ sure of though was the fact that they were at war—so to speak—and had no reason to be happy.

"Didn't I warn you about digging in my head?" she asked him with mock fury.

Edward smirked. "Is it my fault your thoughts speak to me?"

"Yes," Maxi replied and Edward laughed.

"Do you still want to know the answer to your question?" he asked, clearly amused. "I can tell you each of the Rangers' thoughts."

"Of course you can," Maxi retorted dryly. Edward suppressed a smile. The little girl sighed. "I already know," she said quietly.

"Oh?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Maxi nodded, which was kind of hard seeing that she was lying flat on her back. "They're letting me lead because they all believe there's a reason that I was the one that was contacted and teleported to Briarwood first," she said in defeat.

Edward nodded. "That sounds about right."

"I still think Alpha was trying to contact Dad," Maxi said. "Maybe he was just in a hurry and sent me by mistake without checking if it was really him. I mean, who would've thought he'd give his communicator to someone else?"

"Or maybe, he meant to send you?" Edward replied. Maxi frowned. She believed that your life was planned out by God before you were even conceived (because he has to choose who you should be born to), that the beginning and end of your life is all arranged, and your job is just to live it out, making decisions on the way that would ultimately lead you to your final destination. She also knew that Edward knew that, and was using her beliefs against her. She hated it.

"I'm not sure about that," Maxi muttered. "But I'm also not sure why the Volturi haven't shown up yet. If they're supposed to keep the humans from finding out about the vampires, shouldn't they have finished Atirddez off by now? I mean, they do have a thousand vampires, and Atirddez only has a hundred."

Edward's face was hard and his tone was just as harsh. "By not acting, they have chosen to side with the enemy," was his answer. Maxi gulped nervously. Atirddez was hard enough to deal with, but the Volturi, she knew they could not defeat. Maxi knew that the Rangers had won countless battles before, but how are they going to win _this_ one? Against beings that seem indestructible?

For some reason, Maxi felt extremely tired. She wasn't able to suppress a yawn. Something much subtler wouldn't have escaped Edward's notice. He stood smiling.

"Time for the baby's naptime," he teased. He was the only one to call Maxi a baby, one, because she was small like one, and two, because she was so young compared to him. Maxi threw a pillow at him, which he easily caught, laughing.

"Shut up," Maxi retorted, but it only made him laugh harder. She sighed in frustration, lying back down. Edward returned her pillow, ruffling her hair in the process.

"Sweet dreams," he said warmly and left the room. Maxi was out before the door even closed behind him.

Maxi found herself in a weird place. It was all white around her, with nothing in sight but electrical sparks of Ranger colors cackling around. Everything glowed intensely and Maxi had to squint because the brightness was hurting her eyes.

"MAXIMILIAN," a deep echoing voice called.

Maxi gasped, spinning 360º to search for the owner of the voice. It wasn't often that she was called by this name, only when Tommy was really, really mad at her. Only the Power Rangers know that that was her full name. As per her request, Justin had changed all her files so that her name was just Maxi. Even her passport and social security and stuff like that knew her as Maxi Lorelai Oliver. The fact that she was in a strange unknown place and someone was calling this name but was nowhere to be seen worried her. The vast emptiness and booming voice also made her feel extremely small, even smaller than she already was.

"MAXMILIAN," the voice said again. This time, not knowing why, Maxi looked up to what would be the ceiling—or sky.

"Zordon?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"YES MAXMILIAN, IT'S ME," the voice answered. Maxi sighed in relief. If anyone could help her in her situation, it was Zordon.

"Zordon, where are you?" Maxi asked, a little louder this time. "Why can't I see you?"

"YOU CANNOT SEE ME BECAUSE I AM DEMATERIALIZED. I AM ONLY ATOMS HANGING AROUND IN WHAT YOU SEE AS EMPTY SPACE. TECHNICALLY, I AM ALL AROUND YOU. WE ARE ONE."

"Zordon, Lord Atirddez Asluper and his army of vampires are plotting to take over the Earth. The Cullens are doing their best to assist the Rangers, but they are few. Atirddez's army contains at least a hundred vampires, the only coven more powerful are the Volturi, but in choosing to not act, they have chosen to support the enemy. How can we defeat an army of the undead with enhanced abilities?"

"DO THE RANGERS THEMSELVES NOT HAVE ENHANCED ABILITIES?" Zordon asked.

"Yes, but--"

"THE POWER OF GOOD WILL ALWAYS TRIUMPH OVER EVIL, MAXIMILIAN."

"I guess, but right now, it doesn't seem that way, Zordon."

"HAVE YOU ALREADY EXHAUSTED ALL SOURCES OF GOODNESS?"

"No, I must not have since you're still here," Maxi replied, remembering what Andros had told her what Zordon's last words were: My spirit will forever live in all that is good.

Maxi heard a small chuckle and knew that her answer was—somewhat—correct.

"AS LONG AS THERE IS STILL A SPECK OF GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE, MAXIMILIAN, YOU HAVE NOT LOST. THE WAR IS STILL ON. DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH."

"But Zordon, surely if over a decade's worth of Rangers cannot beat even a score of vampires, one more team can't do much of a difference," Maxi said, thinking of the Alien Rangers on Aquitar.

"MAXIMILIAN, SOMETIMES ONE PERSON IS ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, NO MATTER HOW SMALL THEY MAY SEEM. A PERSON IS MEASURED BY THE SIZE OF THEIR WILL AND DETERMINATION, NOT BY THEIR PYSHICAL HEIGHT AND WEIGHT."

"I don't understand Zordon."

"IN TIME, YOU WILL. WHAT AN ELEPHANT CAN'T ACCOMPLISH, A MOUSE CAN ACHIEVE."

Maxi nodded, though she still not really understanding what she was being told.

"GOOD AND EVIL ARE FOREVER INTERWINED," Zordon continued. "WHERE THERE IS ONE, THERE HAS TO BE THE OTHER. THEY KEEP EACH OTHER IN BALANCE, LIKE YIN AND YANG; MIRRORED OPPOSITES." When Maxi didn't say anything, the wise sage added, "REMEMBER, MAXIMILIAN, BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER."

The little girl looked confused. "But how do we beat the vampires, Zordon?"

"IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM."

Maxi's eyes widened at this reply. "Join them?! We can't give in to evil! Zordon?" she called and called, but it was too late. Already her surroundings were beginning to fade. She felt like an invisible hand or hook had taken hold of the back of her shirt and was pulling her back out.

"Zordon!" Maxi woke up yelling as she popped up to a sitting position. She was panting hard, her entire body heaving. Her clothes stuck to her, drenched. Sweat glistened on her face from the light shining from the moon up in the dark sky, shaped eerily like the yin and yang symbol.


	8. Chapter 8

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 8

"There she is," Tommy said when Maxi walked into the base of Rootcore. The Rangers were already there. Maxi had fallen back to sleep after her encounter with Zordon. It was noon now, and everyone was already gathered and resumed their search to find out who Lord Atirddez Asulper was. Maxi entered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes like a small child.

"Forget it guys, there's no point in doing this anymore," she said. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the little girl. Silence fell upon them as they let her words seep in.

"Don't tell me you're giving up now," Aisha said, breaking the silence.

"Rangers don't give up," TJ replied.

"_Olivers_ don't give up," Tommy added.

"What does it matter if Rangers or Olivers don't give up, if Zordon gives up," Maxi retorted.

"What are you talking about? Zordon would never give up," Justin said.

"It's true. When I went to sleep last night, I found myself in a weird place: all white with electrical Ranger-colored sparks. There, Zordon spoke to me. His last words were, '_If you can't beat them, join them_'."

"You talked to Zordon?" Andros asked. Being the one to strike his tube, Andros was always interested in information on Zordon, believing that the great sage and mentor of the Power Rangers had not really gone, or at least, there was a way to bring him back.

"How?" Carlos asked, crossing his arms. "I thought he was destroyed. His sacrifice was what saved the universe from Astronema's forces."

Maxi took a deep breath and told them about her dream. They were quiet for a long time after she finished, trying to digest it. No one that had known Zordon believed he would tell the Rangers to join the side of evil, however, they all knew Maxi and knew the little girl would never tell a lie (except when having to make up an excuse for Ranger-related stuff).

"The Morphing Grid," Trini said. "You must've been at the Morphing Grid. That's the only logical place Zordon would appear."

"Maybe if we can talk to him, he'll answer our questions," Conner said.

"Whatever questions we have, I'm sure Lori's already asked them," Jason said.

"And even if she hadn't, how would we get to the Morphing Grid anyways?" Adam asked.

"I don't think we should be worrying about how to get to Zordon," Justin said slowly, his brow furrowed in deep thought, "But what he said to Lian, and to us."

"What do you mean?" Chad asked.

"Well, I've never heard Zordon to use those proverbs," Justin said. "I think we should try to decipher the meaning of his words."

Not only was Justin a genius, but he was also the youngest Ranger in history, obtaining his powers at the tender age of 11, the age Maxi was going to turn soon. No one doubted him when he spoke. They all sat together, huddled with their closer friends and tried to figure out what their mentor was trying to tell them. Alone, Maxi stood, in front of the Xenotome, the all-knowing book of the Mystics. To be honest, she was angry. She was angry that Alpha had chosen to teleport her to Briarwood first. She was angry that the other Rangers seem to be putting her up as leader. Maxi didn't want to be a leader. Maxi never was a leader. She had always been a follower. She did what her friends wanted to do, she played the games her friends wanted to play, she watched the movies her friends wanted to watch, she never made the decisions, and now, every decision she made was going to effect the fate of the Earth. How could she handle this kind of pressure? But most of all, she was angry at Zordon for not talking directly with her, but spoke in riddles. They didn't have time to figure out the deep double meanings of his words. _Why can't people just speak their minds?_

"Rangers!" Clare's voice called, bringing everyone back from their thoughts. They all hurried to where she stood in front of the Crystal Ball.

"Atirddez's army is attacking again," Udonna reported. Everyone watched the vampire's rampage of the city.

"Come on guys, it's time to go to work," Jason said. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Mastadon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Saber-tooth Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Zeo Ranger I—Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II—Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III—Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV—Green!"

"Shift into Turbo! Storm Blaster, Turbo Power!"

"Let's Rocket!"

"Go Galatic!"

"Lightspeed, Rescue!"

"Titanium Power!"

"Time for Time Force!"

"Quantum Power!"

"Wild Access!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

53 heroes of assorted colors ran into battle where seven golden-eyed vampires were combating against 30 or so crimson-eyed ones. Sparks flew as Ranger weapons clashed against the vampires', collisions sounded like land-slides as the Cullens slammed into Atirddez's minions. Destruction was higher than when Megazords battled downtown. Maxi's fist clenched tight, her knuckles white from lack of blood flow. Her jaw grew tight and she shook her head as she watched another group of citizens scream and caught the attention of vampire. She watched in horror as the monster launched himself on one of the slower runners and sucked in her dry. A cry escaped from Bella's lips. Being around vegetarian vampires, she was not used to seeing such a revolting sight. Karone had been Astronema, Princess of Evil, and even she was bawling her eyes out. Mike kept a firm grip on her to keep her from collapsing. He too had tears in his eyes. Clare had squeezed her eyes shut and was clinging onto Bella, the two supporting each other. Maxi stared, frozen in shock. When she spoke her voice was harsh.

"Evacuate the city immediately."

"What?" asked someone her through their communication link. She didn't bother to identify it.

"Our first priority is the safety of the citizens of Briarwood. We have to keep them away from the danger of being dined on. Evacuate the city! Bring everyone into the forest. Atirddez's army should not be able to penetrate through the dimension. I want the Mystics to handle that. Can the rest of you hold off the vampires for the time being?"

"We'll do our best," Jason replied. He turned to Nick who he was fighting back to back with. "Go!"

Nick nodded back. "Right. Come on guys!" With a sweep of his arm, he and the rest of the Mystic Force Rangers ran off with him to collect the citizens.

"Aaarrg!" Maxi cried in frustration, slamming her tiny fist on the wooden table. "That can't be it! We can't lose!"

The others stared at her as if she had lost her mind when she whirled around at them. Her body was heaving in anger and her eyes were livid. Now for Maxi, her eyes were special. While her hair was much like her godmother's, long, straight and jet-black, her eyes were unlike any of her diverse friends'. They were a dull gray, as if drained of color. So when her eyes were livid, it was a strange sight. Almost like bubbling lead.

"Nothing is without a fault," Maxi said, struggling to control her anger. "Vampires are not perfect, nothing is. They have to have a weakness. There's no way they're indestructible."

"Well…" Bella said hesitantly. Maxi's gray irises locked onto her brown ones immediately.

"What do you know?" the little girl demanded none too gently. It wasn't that she was trying to be mean, but after seeing how the innocent woman had been killed, her anger and desperation to stop these monsters had taken over.

"There _is_ something that can beat vampires," Bella told her rather reluctantly.

"What?" the others asked.

It was obvious Bella didn't want to answer, for what reason, Maxi did not know. Her knowledge could help the Rangers defeat Atirddez once and for all, it could save the world, why was she so hesitant to talk about it? Bella knew what her new friends were thinking. But she also knew something they didn't. However, at this moment, every person on Earth was depending on her answer. She looked from Clare to Karone, to Mike, and down to Maxi, whose eyes were piercing what felt like her soul, willing her to speak. Bella heaved a sighed and answered, barely louder than a whisper.

"Werewolves."

After listening to what Bella had to say about werewolves, Maxi agreed not to call them in. The only pack of werewolves Bella knew that existed resided in La Push, a Quileute reservation in Forks, and the pack was smaller than Carlisle's coven. With vampires and werewolves being natural mortal enemies, it was a safe bet that the Rangers could only ask for one side's help. Maxi agreed that at this point, they needed the Cullens more.

Again, Maxi's eyes flickered towards the Crystal Ball. Since the gruesome attack, she had been afraid to look at the battle for any lengthy amount of time, but what she saw then captured her attention.

"No!" she breathed, moving to get a better look. Her friends came up behind her to see what was going on. Maxi's eyes grew wide in horror. "No!"

Bella, Clare, Karone, and Mike gasped also. They couldn't believe it either. They were shocked, but Maxi was traumatized.

"No! Dad!"


	9. Chapter 9

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 9

"Lian!" they yelled as Mike struggled to keep hold of the little girl, who was surprisingly strong for someone her size. She was going berserk. But then again, who wouldn't after seeing their father get bit by a bloodthirsty vampire.

"Lian, calm down!" Karone tried to say with as much authority as possible. Being Astronema, she had a lot, but when she became a Ranger, she drifted more to being a follower. Plus, without the whole Princess of Evil thing, she didn't look that scary.

"No!" Maxi said, throwing Mike off of herself. "They need help."

"Of course they do, and that's why you have to stay calm to give it to them," Mike replied.

"You're right," the little girl murmured. "And I will be the one to give it to them."

"Huh?" Bella asked, looking over at Clare. The sorceress just shook her head.

Maxi pulled a key out of her pocket. Not just any key, a silver key that looked much like a Swiss Army knife, with its blade out. She brought her left arm up diagonally across her chest. With a flick of her wrist, her communicator changed form. Her friends stared at her, mouths hanging open in shock.

"Tommy! Tommy! C'mon bro, hang in there!" Jason knelt beside the fallen Black Dino Thunder Ranger, his best friend's helmeted head cradled in his arms. It was obvious how weak he was and rapidly slipping into unconsciousness.

Without their field leader, the Rangers themselves were falling apart. They were getting thrown off or having things thrown upon them. Sparks flew from their battle suits as they were hit by heavy objects. All in all, it looked like a losing battle. The vampires were overwhelming them. They fought exactly like a snake that lost its head.

"Jason, look out!" Adam shouted as he tried to fend off a vampire's rock-hard arm. The original Red Ranger turned and an expression of pure shock and fear crept over his face behind his helmet as he saw a vampire leap at him.

"Turbo Sword!" cried a new voice and the red weapon intercepted the attack. The sword threw up the vampire's arm and whipped around to slice him across the middle. Even the marble-like vampire had to recoil, if not from pain, then from shock. A Red Turbo Ranger came to stand between him and the first two leaders of Earth's Power Rangers.

"Ha! Another Ranger!" the vampire laughed. "The first one tasted good enough, but your blood, it sings to me."

Jason saw his rescuer's head flicker to the right, so fast that if he hadn't been staring at the helmet, trying to figure out who was behind it (for TJ was fighting not too far away as the Blue Space Ranger), he would've missed it. Of course, the vampire didn't miss it either. He had followed the Red Turbo Ranger's gaze and smirked to see that his enemy had looked over to Edward.

"Ah yes," he said evilly, "the famous Edward Cullen, quite well-known for his ability to resist the blood that calls out to him the most. But you, Red Ranger, you are not as lucky, as you blood sings to Ragdlog, Advisor of Lord Atirddez Asluper!"

The Red Turbo Ranger held their stance between Ragdlog and Jason and Tommy, the Turbo Sword held up, ready to strike. "Well then, why don't I give you a promotion?" the mystery Ranger smirked. "I'll send you down to be the advisor to Satan himself!"

"Ha!" Ragdlog laughed. "I'd like to see you try." Then he turned to Tommy and smirked at Jason's attempt to wake him. "Don't bother, that one will be one of us soon! Then our battles will be even, Ranger versus Ranger."

"Aarg!" the Red Turbo Ranger cried in frustration, pulling the handle back for an extra power boost and slicing out at Ragdlog, missing by a millisecond. The spot where the vampire stood was now empty air. All the vampires had vanished, only Ragdlog's maniacally laughing remained behind. The Red Turbo Ranger turned to face Jason and Tommy, demorphing in defeat.

"Lori!" Jason gasped in shock when it was revealed that his young goddaughter was his savior and the mystery Ranger. The little girl didn't hear him though. Her eyes saw only the unconscious Brachio Ranger in his arms.

"Dad!"

Tommy returned to Rootcore in the arms of Jason, Zack, and TJ. Immediately, Udonna and Clare began to tend to him with the help of Carlisle and Dana. Rocky was holding Maxi, who buried her face into his shoulder, her tears finally getting the better of her and spilling out, soaking the man's blue shirt. Rocky held her tightly while she cried. Tommy was bitten, Carlisle explained to everyone, by Ragdlog, Atirddez's second-in-command. The venom of the vampire and the power within Tommy are battling inside him.

It was four hours later before they allowed Maxi to see Tommy. He lay in his bed, anything but peacefully. She could tell by the expressions on his face and the way his body thrashed that he was in much pain. Fresh tears rose to her already-puffy eyes when she saw him like this. Never had Maxi seen Tommy looked so vulnerable, not even when he was stuck in that coma during his time as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger in 2004. Tommy had always been Maxi's visual of strength. Seeing her father in pain like this made her wonder how it was going to be possible to win this war.

Sniffing and fighting to hold back tears, Maxi knelt beside her father's bed and slipped her tiny hand into his large one. She squeezed it for comfort.

"Come on Dad, we need you. Please wake up."

After her visit with Tommy, Maxi returned to the base and was immediately bombarded with questions from her friends. They surrounded her and forced her into a seat at the table.

"How did you get those powers?" Jason demanded.

"I thought the Turbo powers were destroyed," Ethan added.

"When did this happen?" Trini asked.

So Maxi sighed and told them her story.

"Yes, the Turbo powers were destroyed. But just like how Storm Blaster had recharged Justin's Blue Turbo Morpher, Lightning Cruiser recharged the Red Turbo Morpher. That was how TJ was able to morph into the Red Turbo Ranger back in 2002 during the Forever Red Mission. It was after that mission, when they returned to Earth, that TJ decided that he was content with just being the Blue Space Ranger."

"I didn't need two Ranger powers, especially two functioning ones," TJ picked up. "So I decided to pass the Turbo power to Lori, just like Tommy had passed them on to me. Now it's back in the family. What more perfect power can she have than one that once belonged to her father?

"I gave her the Turbo Key after seeing that she already had Tommy's old communicator. I told her to keep it a secret, because you know how those evil villains are always watching you from wherever they base, on the moon, in the lake, in space, whatever. I didn't want someone to find out about it and try to use her and the power to get at the Rangers."

"He told me to never reveal that I'm the new Red Turbo Ranger," Maxi finished. "Even during our time in Reefside, I kept it a secret. It was to be used as a last resort. I forced myself to forget I even had the power when the Dino Thunder Rangers were fighting Mesogog, because I was afraid that I would rush into battle whenever I saw one of them in danger. But today, I just couldn't hide it anymore…" Maxi sighed and hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry TJ."

The big black man put a hand on her shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Lori. You made the right decision."

"Yeah," Jason said. "If it weren't for you, Tommy and I would be dead. You saved _both_ our lives today, Lor."

"As the Red Ranger, you are the leader of your team," Andros told her. "You have to be strong and believe in the decisions that you make, so your team would believe in them too. And for now, during this new mission, we're all part of your team."

No longer did Maxi doubt she was the one to lead the Rangers in this battle against Atirddez, not after what Andros said. As much as she had cared about it before, now, with Tommy in his current condition, it had gotten personal. Maxi was not going to rest until Atirddez and his army was brought down, that much, she swore to herself. _And Ragdlog, you better watch yourself, 'cause you're mine!_

It was her third night she had gone without sleeping. She stood in the bathroom, splashing water on her face to wake herself. Her friends, trying to get her to sleep, had made sure she could not have any coffee (not that she was even old enough to drink it in the first place) or any other sources of caffeine. Maxi looked up, gasping, and saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked at herself, water dripping from her face, circles under her eyes that displayed her lack of sleep. All of a sudden, Zordon's words floated into her brain.

"_GOOD AND EVIL ARE FOREVER INTERWINED. WHERE THERE IS ONE, THERE HAS TO BE THE OTHER. THEY KEEP EACH OTHER IN BALANCE, LIKE YIN AND YANG; MIRRORED OPPOSITES_."

And then her jaw dropped as it finally hit her. When she recovered herself, she ran back to the base of Rootcore shouting, "Guys! I've got it! I've got it!"

"Whoa there Lor," Jason said, catching her. "What did you get?"

"I've got what Zordon's trying to tell me!"

"What?" everyone asked. They've all been trying to figure that out for days. The four geniuses especially, sat down at the table by Maxi eager to hear how the little girl had figured out the mystery that they themselves were still stumped over.

"Two words: mirrored opposites," Maxi replied and launched into her explanation of how she came to her theory. She hadn't felt so excited in at least a week and her heart pumped faster and faster as she went further. It was like the excitement had kick started a backup battery in her system.

"Of course!" Justin said when she was finished. "I thought that face looked familiar. You and Atirddez do look exactly alike…if you take off all the vampire-characteristics."

"And then everything else that Zordon said would fit!" Maxi exclaimed. "'_Blood is thicker water_'. He's telling me that Atirddez and I are related, blood relatives, I think. And the whole thing about being small doesn't matter; he must mean that I have to be the one to stop him (Atirddez), because I'm so small!"

"That does make sense," Andros agreed, nodding slowly.

"But what about what he said last?" Ryan asked. "'_If you can't beat them, join them_'?"

Maxi sighed. "That's the one I'm not too sure about. But I think he's saying that I should enter into his ranks, that way, I can get close enough to finish him off."

"But you can't!" Bella nearly shouted. "First of all, they'll recognize you immediately. You can't spy on vampires. And second, even if you did manage to get close enough, how are you going to finish off Atirddez?"

"That's the only thing that's keeping me here right now," Maxi answered truthfully. Her previous good mood was entirely gone by now.

For the rest of the week, things were pretty quiet, which Maxi and the Rangers didn't like one bit. When Esme asked why, Shane answered, "It's only the calm before the storm."

And he couldn't have been more right. The following Monday, Atirddez launched his biggest attack yet. Eight squads targeted different parts of the city. A grand total of 48 vampires roamed the streets of Briarwood, attacking various spots of the now-abandoned city. The citizens were now hidden deep in the Mystic Forest, protected by trolls and giants and other mystical creatures (and of course, magic). Maxi sent the Rangers into battle. There were six full teams: Space, Galaxy, Lightspeed, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, and Mystic Force. Justin joined the Zeo Rangers to make a seventh team, and Jason, Trini, and Zack teamed up with Wes and Eric as the eight. The seven Cullens, broke up and each joined up with a team. Carlisle in Space, Esme in Galaxy, Rosalie in Lightspeed, Emmett in Wild Force, Alice in Ninja Storm, Jasper in Zeo, and Edward with the Mighty Morphin/Time Force. This left Mystic Force without a vampire ally, but seeing that they had at least two more Rangers than everybody else, Maxi and the other non-fighters could only pray they would be okay. With Tommy still out, the Dino Thunder teens were forced to hang back and watch as their friends and fellow Rangers fought tooth and nail (figuratively) against the enemy. They were the backup team, and soon, were each sent out to help. The Galaxy, Wild Force, Zeo , and MM/TF teams had only five Rangers and Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent were reinforcing them, respectively.

The battle was long and hard, the odd didn't look good for the side of Good. Maxi couldn't stand not being out there with her friends (Jason had ordered that she was not allowed to go into battle unless one of the Rangers had fallen) and she knew that Mike and Karone felt the same way, if not more so since they used to be able to fight along side them when Maxi never could.

"This isn't good," Bella whimpered as she watched the MM/TF team, worried about Edward, who was a great fighter and faired pretty well against his opponent. The others tried to get her away from the fighting, but they couldn't get her to budge.

"Call in the Alien Rangers," Maxi commanded and Mike started typing away at the computer immediately. Maxi closed her eyes, her hands gripping the edge of the table tightly, as she tried to remember all the allies the Power Rangers had. Slowly, she counted them off to the former Magna Defender (II): Trey of Triforia, Ninjor, the Phantom Ranger, and the Blue Senturion.

"There are more, Maximilian, think harder," an unfamiliar echoing voice said.

"Huh?" Maxi gasped, looking around.

"What is it?" Karone asked.

"Did you guys just say something?" Maxi asked her friends.

"No," Clare answered.

"Really? I could've sworn…"

"I think you're overworked, Lian," Karone said. "Maybe you should get some rest."

"I can't rest now! Not when the Rangers need me most!"

"You're no help to anyone if you're too tired to think coherently," Bella said. Maxi looked at her, then to Clare, Karone, and even Mike who raised his head for a brief second to glare at her. The little girl sighed in defeat.

"Fine," she huffed and left for the dormitories higher up the trunk. She entered her room and slammed the door. She was angry that she had been sent to her room like a misbehaving child. "How can they shut me up when the Rangers are fighting a losing battle?" she asked out loud to no one in particular. "They need all the help they can get."

"Think Maximilian, there are others who can help," said that same echoing voice. Maxi literally jumped in surprise. This was Rootcore, no one can enter undetected. They had to be granted access by Udonna or Clare, the mistresses of the base.

"Who's there?" Maxi called out, looking around but seeing no one there. She only saw herself in the reflection of the mirror hanging on the bark wall. That was when she noticed something different about herself. Besides from the bags under her eyes due to lack of sleep, Maxi noticed her irises were a different color. Instead of their usual shade of dull gray, they were now flashing a champagne color.

"I am not out there, but in here, inside your head," the voice told her.

"Who are you and what are you doing inside my head?" Maxi demanded furiously. She always joked around with Edward about reading her mind, digging inside her head, but now, she was truly angry with whoever was in there uninvited. Maxi was a private, introverted person who didn't like people sticking their noses in business that didn't concern them. Whatever was going on in her head should not be of any concern to this stranger.

"I am Lexian of Edenoi," the voice answered. "And I am here, because you called me."

Maxi's eyes grew wide in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Maxi asked shakily after Lexian's first attempt to explain it to her.

"Maximilian, you are the Sage, Contactor of the Spirits, Ambassador of the Past. You have the ability to call on help from the past and borrow the Power of others to use as your own. To you, the word '_gone'_ has a whole new meaning," Lexian said more patiently this time.

"Me? A Contactor? An Ambassador? I think you're making the same mistake as Alpha; you have the wrong person."

"No," Lexian said. "Alpha 7 does not make mistakes, not one like that. No Maximilian, you were chosen to do this. To lead the Power Rangers of the past and present to overcome this new obstacle."

"I think Atirddez and his vampires are a little more than an obstacle."

"No, they're not. The answer is simple, if you look back far enough."

Maxi sighed. _Great_, she thought, _another wise old man from a distant planet telling her the answer in riddles. _A light chuckled caught her attention.

"I am in your head, remember?" Lexian said. "Your thoughts come to be with more ease than your voice."

"But-but-but surely I'm not a sage."

"No," Lexian agreed. Maxi sighed in relief. "You're _the_ Sage." Maxi groaned in annoyance.

"No offense, King Lexian," she said, "but how can my being '_the_ Sage' help the Rangers defeat Atiddez?"

"Ah, in true Power Ranger fashion, that is for me to know, and you to find out."

Maxi's jaw dropped in disbelief. And here she thought this guy was here to help her. Again, Lexian had sensed what she was thinking.

"I'll give you one hint: look to the roots."

And then, just like Maxi's encounter with Zordon, Lexian was gone. She couldn't really explain it, but it was as if she felt something leave her, the moment her connection with Lexian was severed. Maxi also realized that her eyes had dimmed back to gray after Lexian's presence disappeared.

"First blood, now roots, what is it with these mentor-people?" she muttered darkly as she left her room to tell the others what she just found out, not knowing the Rangers had news of their own to tell her.

* * *

PS

Thanks to those of you who do review. Appreciate it.


	10. Chapter 10

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.

Ch. 10

"What?!" Maxi cried so loud that the Cullens (with their sensitive hearing) and any one sitting near her cringed.

"The vampires can grow," Conner told her again, wondering how she didn't understand it the first time. "You know, up to 40-feet-tall?"

"It was a rhetorical question," Ethan told Conner, shaking his head.

"Carlisle?" The little girl turned to the oldest vampire for help. The doctor just shook his head.

"Never has a vampire grown like that in the history of the Earth," he told her.

"The vampires must not be alone. I bet there's someone backing up Atirddez," Shane said.

"Who can it be?" Tori asked her leader. "Every villain in the past has been destroyed by their team of Power Rangers."

"That's not entirely true," Maxi said, pouncing on any chance of getting a straight answer instead of riddle ones. "When Andros shattered Zordon's energy tube, the so-called '_Z-Waves_' reverted Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, and Divatox back to human form."

"And Ransik turned himself over after some persuasion from his daughter, Nardira," Wes added.

"We never knew what happened to Lothor after he failed to destroy Reefside," Dustin said.

"Didn't Dr. O tell you?" Kira asked. The Ninja Storm teens shook their heads. "He was turned into a collectable action figure by Mesogog."

"My dad and I found him in Mesogog's Lab after the last battle," Trent added. "Hmm…Dr. O must've forgotten."

"That's Tommy for you," Jason muttered. Some of the Rangers chuckled.

"Let's focus here," Kim said.

"That leaves us four evil villains that could be helping Atirddez," Carter said.

"Ex," TJ said. "Our four candidates are all _ex_-evil villains. Zordon's energy turned them good, the first three anyways."

"Supposedly," Max said. "What's to say that those villains actually _stayed_ good?"

"I don't doubt Zordon ability," Maxi replied. The Rangers up to the Space team (who had known Zordon) nodded in agreement.

"And Rita Repulsa did stay good," Madison pointed out. "She became the Mystic Mother."

"I think that's really fishy though," Hunter said. "She was evil up until 1999 an then she suddenly becomes the Empress of all Good Magic for a team as ancient as Mystic Force? Doesn't sound right. It's almost like the Choobo thing."

"But she did help us defeat the Master," Nick said.

"And she made Clare a full sorceress," Vida added.

"There could always be a new villain," Adam pointed out.

"He's right," Chad agreed. "Every time we defeat a villain, there's always another to take its place."

"And there's always another team of Rangers to fight them," Joel added

"Maybe Atirddez _is_ the new villain," Cam said.

"That would explain why he could make his vampires grow," Ethan nodded.

"No, that wouldn't make any sense," Justin said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Danny asked.

"Because," Justin explained. "Every villain the Power Rangers have faced in the past have one thing in similar."

"What's that?" Alyssa asked. Maxi answered for her best friend.

"They always have idiotic, always-failing henchmen, an endless amount of disposable monsters, and their own, one-of-a-kind foot-soldiers. Without those, they can't make a name for themselves in the villain world," Maxi added sarcastically.

"And Atirddez has none of those," Jasper said, nodding as he understood. "All he has are vampires, same as himself."

"Exactly," Maxi nodded. "And besides, there hasn't been a new team of Rangers yet," she added, smiling grimly at Joel. He smiled sheepishly back.

"What about Ransik?" Blake asked.

"Ransik is currently in the custody of Time Force in the 31st century," Eric answered, "sitting in a jail cell in the distant future."

"Ransik's also had a change in heart," Wes reminded some and informed others.

"How do you know if he didn't change back?" Conner asked. "He wasn't affected by Zordon's energy waves."

"No, but Ransik did help us defeat the Mut-Orgs," Taylor said.

"But--" Maxi cut off Conner before he could argue.

"Forget Ransik. If there was any problem with the future, the future teams would've come back to help us. The fact that none of the remaining Time Force Rangers has arrived from the future, means that we're going to win this one." Maxi sighed. "We just have to figure out how."

The Rangers and allies were quiet for a moment before Kira broke the silence. She was sitting on the wooden table, staring wide-eyed at the Crystal Ball set in the center.

"You better think fast, 'cause we've got 20 40-foot-tall vampires attacking the city."

Everyone rushed over to see. Maxi was the first to get there.

"How many Megazords do we have?" she asked. Each Red Ranger answered with their team's Megazord while the sixth-Rangers called out their own personal Zords. In the end, the Astro Megazord (Mark II), the Mega Winger, the Galaxy Megazord, the Supertrain Megazord, the Q-Rex, the Wild Force Megazord, the Predazord, the Samurai Star Megazord, the Centaurus Wolf Megazord, the Solar Streak Megazord, and Manticore Megazord were up for battle. Maxi sent them and their pilots/commanders out immediately.

Jason was able to send Auric the Conqueror to help. With Tommy out, the Zeo Rangers couldn't summon the Zeo Megazord and the Dino Rangers had to sacrifice all of their Zords to defeat Mesogog. With so many Zords destroyed during the final battles against their time's evil villain and not being able to find a big enough energy source to revive them all, 19 active Rangers and the seven Cullens had to remain behind, much to their dismay. Udonna was able to make herself grow into a giant White Ranger and joined the battle, despite the others telling her that it was too dangerous.

"This isn't good, you guys," Aisha said as she and her friends crowded around the Crystal Ball. "There's too many of them!"

"We need help," Kat agreed and as soon as those words left her mouth, help came.

"Look!" Dustin cried, pointing.

"The Aquitian Battle Borgs!" Adam exclaimed.

"The Pyramidas!" Jason recognized.

"Ninjor!" Rocky added.

"The Robo Racer!" Tanya shouted.

"The Artillatron!" Justin yelled.

"And the Rescue Megazord," Maxi whispered in disbelief. Justin saw and his jaw dropped.

"No way!" he breathed.

"What is that?" Tori asked, not understanding why it came to such a shock to the two buddies.

"One of the Turbo Rangers' Megazords," Maxi answered without moving her eyes away from the sight, "a gift from the Phantom Ranger. His personal Zord, the Artillatron is also the Carrierzord for the Rescuezords."

"But I thought the Turbo powers were destroyed," Kira said.

"They were," Justin told him.

"Even if they weren't," Adam said. "Who's piloting them? TJ, Carlos, Ashley, and Cassie are in the Astro Megazord and Justin's right here."

"That's what I want to know," Justin said. Then suddenly, Lexian's words came back to Maxi: _Think Maximilian, there are others who can help_…She gasped, gripping her best friend's arm. They remembered at the same time.

"The Robot Rangers!" they shouted simultaneously.

"Who are the Robot Rangers?" Kira asked.

"There are robot Power Rangers?" Dustin asked at the same time.

"The Robot Rangers were created by Zordon and Alpha 5 to assist the Rangers and protect Eltar. They were robotic clones of the second team of Turbo Rangers," Maxi explained absently. Her own mind was thinking about what how what this part of what King Lexian said was true. But if this was true, then what about the part where she was supposedly "_the_ Sage"? What exactly can "_the _Sage" do to help the Rangers in their current situation?

"With ten more Megazords, looks like the Rangers are fairing better," Clare said.

"But with ten more Megazords tromping around, plus the fact that there are 20 giant vampires, and the 13 Megazords already out there, Briarwood is as good as crushed," Hunter said.

"He's right," Maxi nodded. With 23 Megazords battling 20 vampires, all 40-feet-tall, and the city would be squashed in no time. Even if they did manage to defeat Atirddez and his army, they would be left with no city at all, just a place full of debris. Yes, the citizens were safe and were—for now—living in the villages of the Mystic Forest, but they still didn't want to destroy their homes, right? Maxi made some quick calculations in her head as her eyes flitted from Megazord to Megazord on the battle field.

"Guys, split up," Maxi told the fighting Rangers. "The Mystic Force will stay behind in Briarwood, everyone else, make a break for it, and make sure they follow you. Take them to the mountains, the desert, anywhere where you can fight without worry of stepping on someone or destroying a city."

"Right," came several replies. The Megazords broke apart. Some took flight and as expected, their opponents jumped and grabbed hold of them. Maxi grinned at this, as did the Cullens.

"Andros, Zhane, head for space. Vampires may not need to breath, but they're not used to zero-gravity," Allice said.

"You got it," Zhane said, rather more cheerfully than he should be. "Mega Winger, transform!" The Mega Winger changed back to its spaceship mode as the Astro Megazord became the Astro Megaship. They flew, with their stowaways out of the Earth's orbit, taking them as far as possible before blowing them up with their lasers. Maxi had to admit, she was glad those vampires grew, the Megazords' weapons were much more powerful than the Rangers' regular ones. Hopefully, Atirddez wouldn't realize that too, and hopefully, the team technicians would invent a stronger weapon, but Maxi knew how hard that can be and made sure not to count on that.

"Wow, it's a good thing those ships were strong enough to pull three 40-feet-tall vampires into space," Bella said. Some of her friends chuckled while others nodded in agreement.

"Mike, can you keep an eye on the others?" Maxi asked.

"I'm on it," the original owner of the Red Quasar Saber said, and began typing at the Time Force computer. The former Magna Defender had worked on Terra Venture and was pretty good with technology. Since he no longer had the ability to battle, he sorta filled in the role of Alpha, while Clare, now a full-fledged sorceress was more of an assistant mentor, half and half, Maxi was the Zordon on this mission. Trini, also good with computers, and Wes, the owner of the computer, went over to help him.

Jason was shaking his head at the Crystal Ball. Being the first Red Power Ranger and the first leader, he was the most experienced of them all, (except maybe for Tommy). And while the "Technicolor Ranger", as his friends liked to tease him, was out, Jason automatically filled in his shoes to lead the Rangers. It killed him that he wasn't able to be out there in the battle field where he was the most useful. Yes, he was a good leader, but he was so out there, where the fighting took place. In here, at the command center, it was Maxi who was the most useful. And the poor girl was straining herself so hard she looked like she was about to collapse, yet at the same time, Jason could sense a strong fighting spirit from her. He smiled at his goddaughter. She was so much like Tommy it was hard to believe that his best friend didn't actually father her. But that didn't make him love her any less.

"Splitting them up was a good idea," Edward said, staring at the holographic computer screen over Mike and Trini's shouldes, "but it's not enough."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked. "We outnumber them, 23 to 20."

"Not for long," Alice replied and by the sound of her voice, Maxi knew she just had a vision.

"How many more?" the little girl demanded without looked at her.

"Enough," the impish vampire replied.

"You have to give her a number to work with, Alice," Jasper said to his wife. Being one of the youngest majors from the Civil War, Jasper knew about battling strategies.

"There will be enough to outnumber the Megazords," Edward answered for his adoptive sister.

"Aaaarrrg!" Maxi roared in frustration, slamming her fist on the table. She was ready to pull her hair out.

"I hate to be the bearer of more bad news," Trini called over, "but--"

"Please don't tell me one of the Megazords is off-line," Maxi interrupted.

"No…" Maxi almost sighed in relief, but then she saw the look on Trini's face and knew that it was something much worse. "It's the Alien Rangers, they're dehydrating!"

* * *

PS 

Thanks to those of you who do review. Appreciate it.

Oh, and I have some stories sitting on my computer. None of them are done, but should I post them anyways? Tell me what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

Ch. 11

Great. Just great. Atirddezz just grew another five vampires, making the Rangers now down by one. The Space Rangers would keep coming back to take vampires out to space before shooting them down, but they could only do so by twos and threes. Every time they destroy some, more would just grow to take their place. And vampires weren't like foot soldiers, though they seem to be taking the place of them. Vampires thought for themselves, and they weren't stupid…well, not all of them, at least. Not to mention the Alien Rangers' powers were draining the more they stayed out of the water. The Battle Borgs were five out of the Rangers' 23 Megazords. Without them, they would be down 18-to-25, not good even if they weren't fighting nearly-indestructible vampires.

"They're in the desert, of course they're dry," Conner said. "Why don't they just fight in the ocean?"

"Because vampires will gain the upper hand they don't need in the water," Rosalie explained. "Without a need to breathe, vampires can stay in the water for as long as forever…or until they need to feed. The Megazords are big hunks of metal, not good material for water."

"No," Justin mused. "But Conner has a good point. The Alien Rangers control their Battle Borgs telepathically--"

"So they could be in the ocean while their Borgs fight in the desert!" Ethan finished for him. The two Blue geniuses smiled at each other. Everyone was waiting for Maxi to give the order, but none came. They turned to see the little girl leaning against the wooden table, head bowed and brow furrowed, deep in thought. They didn't know what she was thinking, but they knew it was probably important, so they didn't disturb her. Jason, taking up as leader, made the decision and contacted the Alien Rangers. They agreed and followed Justin and Ethan's plan. The others continued to monitor the many battles, leaving Maxi to her thoughts.

The ocean comment had struck something for Maxi, yet she couldn't really put her finger on what it was. Something, some vague memory was pulling on the back of her mind, and she closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds around to her to focus on the memory and pull it out. Just then, she felt something. It was the same unexplainable, indescribable feeling she had when she talked to the creator of the line of Alpha robots.

King Lexian? she asked with her mind, knowing that if it was who she thought it was, he would hear her. Speaking out loud was not as clear, Lexian had told her, and it would make the others stare at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Try again," a voice replied. The voice was new, yet strangely familiar.

Dad? Maxi asked in disbelief.

"No," the voice said. "But closer."

How can you not be my dad, you sound just like him?

"Think harder," the voice said. Maxi smirked. That was the same thing Lexian told her. Then what he was saying was true! She is _the_ Sage; which would mean that whoever she was talking to was a spirit, a ghost, someone that was dead. It didn't take much longer for Maxi to realize who it was after she figured out that part.

Tom!

The voice identical to her father's laughed. "There we go," he said. Tom Oliver, Wizard of Deception's evil clone of Tommy turned good. Maxi remembered the second team of Rangers telling her about the time when Zedd sent them back to colonial Angel Grove and after turning good, Tom had decided to stay in that time, knowing that he and Tommy couldn't exist in the same time period together.

Please say whatever you're gonna say straightforwardly and not in riddles.

Again Tom laughed. "Where's the fun in that?!"

Maxi sighed, rolling her eyes. Fine, then say what you want to say, and make it quick. I still have to figure out how to keep five Aquitians well-hydrated enough to fight an army of vampires.

There was a pause. Tom didn't say anything and after ten seconds of silence, Maxi spoke up.

Well?

"Well what?" Tom asked, confused.

What were you going to say?

"Say what?"

Why did you contact me if you didn't have anything to say?! Maxi demanded.

"I didn't contact you, you contacted me!" Tom replied defensively.

How did I do that? Maxi asked, puzzled.

"You're the Sage, Li. When you think of someone, someone that's gone, then they come to you. They can't help it. And when you're connected with that someone, then what's theirs is yours."

What do you mean?

"Well, like you and me now. Right now, we're connected, so anything I had when I, uh…_went_ you have now. My knowledge, my belongings, stuff like that."

And when our connection breaks, I lose them, right?

"Right."

How do I do it?

"Do what?"

How do I make connections? How do I keep them? And how are they broken?

"You make connections when you call out to a spirit. I closer you are to that spirit, the more you'll get from them, the more you'll be able to Borrow from them. And the connection would be broken once you've done what you needed to do with whatever you Borrowed from the spirit…or when you dismiss them."

Can the spirit end the connection as well?

"Yeah, they can," Tom said. His tone changed when he added, "So you should treat all spirits with respect so they don't hate you and hang up."

Maxi laughed inside her head, which was out loud to Tom. Then she suddenly realized something. A real smiled crept over her face.

I hope you see me as nice to you, Tom, 'cause I need to borrow something of yours.

"It's all yours," Tom replied, grinning. Of course he knew what she was thinking.

"What's happening to her?" Trent asked, staring at Maxi. The fighters had returned after the vampires' sudden retreat, but the silent little girl was still out of it. She looked like her soul was gone and left behind her body like an empty shell. When Jason touched her shoulder, she didn't answer. He turned her around just in time to see her lips curved up into a smile. It was actually kind of creepy. And what's worse, her eyes were glowing green.

"Guys," Trini said worriedly. "That looks just like--"

"How Tommy's eyes flashed when he was Rita's evil Ranger," Zack finished dryly for her. The Asian Yellow could only nod.

"Does that mean she's--" Dustin began, but was cut off by Jason.

"She's _not_ evil."

"Maybe she's having a vision," Bella piped up, "she looks like Alice when she has her visions."

"Lian doesn't have special powers though," Justin said. "At least I don't think so." He looked over at the others.

"Shouldn't you know?" Jason asked. "You're her best friend!"

"You don't know everything about Tommy, do you?" Justin replied.

"Guess not," Jason murmured, nodding. He looked back at Maxi, who he cradled in his arms. The green glow died down so it no longer flashed like a light, but it remained there, dying the color of her irises.

"What's going on?" she asked as if she had just woken up. _Well I guess she kind of did_, Jason thought, _from a trance or something_. Maxi looked around at everyone that was back. "What happened?"

"You tell us," Blake said. "Are you okay?"

Maxi grinned as she returned to her feet. "I'm better than okay. But what about you guys? Why are you back?"

"The vampires, they just disappeared!" cried Robot Justin, who was still in the form of an 11-year-old boy.

"It was a good thing too," Nick said. "I don't think our Zords could've taken much more."

"Are they in bad conditions?" Maxi asked him, suddenly worried.

"They're recovering now," Alyssa answered.

"Will they be able to continue?"

"Depends on how much time Atirddez gives before attacking again," TJ replied.

"Time," Carlisle said, entering the base from the dormitories after checking up on Tommy. "Time is the one thing we're running low on."

"Is he okay?" Maxi asked immediately.

"He still fighting," he told her grimly. "He's lucky he has so many powers within him. They're resisting the venom, but if whoever bit him isn't destroyed soon, he might not make it, with or without his powers."

Maxi clenched her fists tightly. "Hang in there Dad," she whispered. "We're almost there."

* * *

Sorry it's so short. I'll try again tomorrow. I did post a new story though. Check it out and tell me what you think.

I know not a lot of people read my story, but thanks to those of you who do review. They make my day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!


	12. Chapter 12

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

Ch. 12

A week has passed since Maxi had first been teleported to Briarwood. They spent a couple of quiet days in the recently-not-so-quiet city, while the Mystics tried to explain to Briarwood's citizens what was going on. Maxi was thinking in her dad's room when the familiar six-tone beep sounded from her communicator.

"What is it?" Maxi demanded as she ran into the base "_downstairs_".

"The vampires are attacking again," Clare reported.

"And it's the big ones," Xander added.

"Then it's time to kick into action!" Maxi cried. "Shift into Turbo! Lightning Cruiser, Turbo Power!"

"It's Morphing Time!" Delphine commanded in the Aquitian tone. "White Aquitar Ranger Power!"

"Black Aquitar Ranger Power!"

"Blue Aquitar Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Aquitar Ranger Power!"

"Red Aquitar Ranger Power!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Shift into Turbo! Storm Blaster, Turbo Power!"

"Let's Rocket!"

"Go Galatic!"

"Lightspeed, Rescue!"

"Quantum Power!"

"Wild Access!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

It wasn't until the Rangers had made it to the battle scene when Justin realized something. "Guys, look at Lian!" All the other Rangers who had to stay behind because hey didn't have access to a Zord crowded around with the Cullens to see what the young genius was talking about. They all gasped.

"The Red Turbo Ranger--" Clare started but was cut off by Conner.

"Isn't Red any more!"

"It's…_silver_," Karone added.

"That's not silver," Alice corrected. "It's platinum." Everybody turned to look at her.

"Does it matter?" Mike asked. Alice just shrugged.

"It's more than that though," Justin said. "It's like…"

"A mirror?" Ethan asked more than said.

"Yeah. It's like a mirror. And it looks metal."

"Not spandex like our suits," Rocky added.

"What do you think happened?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Trini said. "But look!"

In the city, the 44 Rangers that had control of Megazords made it to the battle field…or at least to the place where the 40-foot vampires were rampaging.

"All right Rangers, let's go kick some butt!" Maxi said to her teammates.

"Right!" they agreed.

"We need Astro Megazord Power now!" the Space Rangers called to the sky.

"Mega Winger!" Zhane said, doing the same.

One by one, the 15 Megazords and five Battle Borgs were summoned. Jason also sent Auric the Conqueror. Ninjor grew into Megazord size as well and the combat began. 23 Megazords now battled 25 vampires, lumbering through the streets of Briarwood. They split up again, with the Alien Rangers moving their Battle Borgs towards the water and Space Rangers headed up for space. This time, the Galaxy Rangers follow suited. Three Mystic Force Megazords stayed behind and the rest headed for the mountains and desert. Maxi was left to stand alone under the fighters' big feet.

"Lori, what are you doing?!" came Jason's voice through their communication link and that was all Maxi needed. Standing in the same spot, and smirking behind her helmet, she reached her right arm behind her back.

"Is she doing what I think she's doing?" Trini asked to no one in particular. No one answered, they just all stared at the Crystal Ball…waiting.

Her face set in concentration, Maxi yelled, "It's Morphin Time! Dragonzord!"

Jason, Trini, Zack, and Kim's jaws dropped. Even Justin and the Zeo Rangers couldn't believe their eyes. Yes, the others were surprised as well, but none of them had fought alongside the Green Mighty Morphin Rangers. Actually, Justin, Kat, and Tanya never did either, but at least they had fought beside Tommy and have heard of the tale of the destruction of Green Ranger and the loss of its powers. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha had known his clone personally. Jason especially, was dumbstruck, for he had felt an immense load of guilt for not being able to retrieve the Green Candle and save the Green Ranger powers so many years ago.

"No way!" Zordon's team gasped as they watched Maxi's Red Turbo Ranger suit become the Green Mighty Morphin Ranger's, with a slight alteration of course. It was metallic, glistening as if the suit itself was captured inside the platinum glass.

"It can't be," Jason murmured as Maxi pulled out the Dragon Dagger and began to play the all-too-familiar tune.

And then the earth rumbled. The waved grew bigger, bashing the vampires that were being attacked by the Aquitian Battle Borgs. Before they knew it, a new Zord had risen right out of the water. It was big and bulky and resembled Godzilla. It let out a loud roar that shocked everyone present. But the shock only lasted a second and the final vampire charged. Maxi had to quicken her playing on the flute to keep the vampire from trying to crush her new Zord.

"Is that…?" Dustin asked. Besides the original Rangers, Dustin knew the most about the past Power Rangers, mainly from what he read from comic books, which were surprisingly accurate…at least when it came to the Rangers' arsenal. Everything else was obviously made up.

Zordon's Rangers merely nodded to the Earth Ninja's question, too shocked to speak. They stared down at Maxi still not really believing what they're seeing. How can it be? How can she become the Green Ranger? They knew that those powers were gone forever, they had tried hard, but there had been nothing they could do to save it. So how is it that they can be back? And what happened to the Red Turbo powers? Why did it change like that? Questions were bursting in their brains, only their surprise was holding them back.

"Whatever that thing is," Shane said, breaking their train of thought, "it's kicking some major vampire butt." Then he turned to the Cullens. "No offense."

"None taken," Carlisle assured him.

"But you might want to look again, Shane," Alice added.

The Rangers, confused by what she said, took a look. Simultaneously, the all yelled, "Look out!"

Of course, by the time Maxi knew they were talking to her, it was too late. Something hard (a vampire, she later realized) smashed into her, knocking her over. The Dragon Dagger spiraled out of her hands, the Dragonzord's attack stopped promptly. Maxi crashed onto the ground with a grunt. Her head hit the cement and she was out like a light. The vampire that attacked her, Ragdlog, cackled and disappeared with the fallen Ranger in his grasp.

"No!" Jason roared, slamming his fist on the table so hard it shook. "Lori!"

Maxi found herself once again in a place where nothing could be seen. This time, instead of white, it was black all around her. Pitch black. At first, she thought it was because she hadn't open her eyes yet, but even holding her eyes open, she couldn't see passed her nose. And since you can't really see your nose without a mirror or a reflecting object, Maxi wasn't even sure if she couldsee _that_ far.

"Lori…Lori…Lori!" a voice called, almost teasingly. Maxi snapped over in the direction the voice was coming from, regretting it at once. Wincing, she slapped her hand to her neck and groaned in pain.

"Lori, are you okay?"

Maxi gasped. "Dad?" she asked incredulously as she saw someone approach her. He looked exactly like Tommy Oliver the way she had last seen him, except for the fact that he was glowing. Yes, that's right, he was glowing; a bluish-whitish glow, much like the color of Zordon's energy. And he looked transparent, like a ghost, almost wavering like he was going to flicker and go out like a candle flame. The thought mortified her…until the man smiled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her softly, sitting down next to her and helping her sit up.

"I'm okay," Maxi lied even though every inch of her body was aching. "How 'bout you Dad?" she was genuinely worried. During her short time as the Sage, Maxi has learned that she can come in contact with anyone that is "_gone_", meaning dead or destroyed. Her coming in contact with her dad must mean that…

Tommy chuckled. "That's my girl," he said. "Always thinking of others before herself."

"You're not…are you?" Maxi couldn't bring herself to say it.

"No, I'm not," Tommy said and Maxi sighed in relief, "…yet." The little girl jolted and stared at her father with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked him shakily.

"Well, what am I doing right now?" he asked her back. Maxi cursed inside her head. Ever since Tommy had become a teacher, he had a knack for turning everything into questions and teaching. Maxi hated it. It made even the simplest conversations into twice-as-long brain-whacking lessons. And it wasn't as if she didn't have enough people speaking in riddles in her life.

"Uh, talking with me?" Maxi guessed. Tommy chuckled.

"What am I doing besides that?"

"Er, sitting here? Where is '_here_', by the way?"

Tommy sighed, shaking his head. "Come on Lor, focus. What am I doing at this moment? My body? What has it been doing?"

Maxi thought about it for a moment, and then understood. "You're fighting for your life," she murmured. Tommy heard her and nodded.

"And so are you."

"I'm dying?" Maxi asked, not as shocked as she thought she would be when it came to her death being just around the corner. Tommy nodded again, but this time, more solemnly. "So what do I do about it?"

Tommy stared at her in surprise as if the answer was plainly obvious, which, when he told her, was. "You fight for your life. Fight for the chance to live."

"Right," Maxi nodded. And she couldn't help resisting a "Duh!" Tommy had to chuckle at that. Maxi turned to him again. "And how do I do that?"

"That's one of the many things I can't help you with," Tommy replied, getting up and patting her shoulder. Maxi sighed and nodded understandingly. She smiled weakly up at her father.

"I'll do whatever I have to do; I'm not going to give up…especially on my life, and with Atirddez and his goons still on the loose."

Suddenly, Tommy broke into a smile. Then he wavered and he transformed into King Lexian. Maxi was so surprised she actually jumped from her sitting position to her feet…then grimaced in pain. King Lexian's form was identical to Tommy's, blue-whitish and transparent. He stood facing Maxi, his smile warm and welcoming.

"Congratulations, Maximilian," he said.

Maxi frowned confused. "Congratulations for what?" she asked.

King Lexian smirked. "Looks like that blow really took its toll on your head," he joked, causing Maxi's eyes to widen. That didn't seem like a very wise-old-king thing to say. King Lexian must've thought so too, because he chuckled. "It's been a while since I've cracked jokes. It's good to be here, in the world of In-Between, you can live here in any age you want. That way, people don't stare at me—like how you're doing now—when I want to let lose." He laughed again and waved his hand dismissively. Maxi was too surprised to say anything.

"Anyways," Lexian said with a sigh. "Congratulations Maximilian, for winning the battle for your life."

"I've won?" Maxi asked. "Just like that? But I haven't done anything yet!"

"You've already said you would never give up," Lexian told her. "That's all they really wanted to hear." Maxi stared at him. "…unless of course, you want there to be more."

"No!"

King Lexian laughed. "Now go. You have an Earth to save." His motioned with his arm and a vortex appeared, white and bright compared to the dark black surroundings.

Maxi didn't know what to do, so she bowed to show her respect. "Thank you King Lexian of Edenoi."

"You're welcome, Sage Maximilian of Earth. Go forth and may the Power protect you."

* * *

I know, it was kind of weak. I couldn't really think of anything, so I was like, what the heck? Review please! 


	13. Chapter 13

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, going back to school swamped me. Here's the next chapter...

Ch. 13

"Wakey wakey, little Ranger!"

Something that felt like a rod prodded Maxi on the side, causing her to wince. She opened her eyes slowly and found that she was on the floor of a cell in some kind of evil base. It looked strangely like the Lord Zedd and Rita's Moon Palace.

"Get up, you pathetic Power brat!"

Maxi clenched her fists and growled as she pushed herself to her feet. "Ragdlog!" she snarled, raising her fists as she dropped to a defensive stance. The vampire laughed and pushed her tiny fists aside.

"You are not a match for me even if you have your powers."

"We'll see about that! Shift into Turbo! Lightning Cruiser, Turbo Power!" Maxi raised an eyebrow at the vampire from behind her helmet. "Your move, Ragdlog!"

"Ha!" Ragdlod laughed. He picked up his rod and began twirling it. "You've made the wrong move, Ranger! Hyah!"

"Whoa!" Maxi gasped as she blocked the attack just in time with her Turbo Sword. With both the Turbo powers and the Sage magic backing her up, Maxi was able to match the vampire. Problem was, she was _only_ able to match him.

"Well then, I'm waiting," Maxi said as she exchanged blows with Ragdlog. The vampire looked at her in confusion.

"Waiting for what?" he demanded.

"Oh come on, every evil villain has to rant about how their plan has fallen into place and the Power Rangers are going down. No one's an evil villain until they tell the world how they're going to take over the world. You must know that…but then again, you are _only_ second-in-command," Maxi added. Ragdlog growled.

"How dare you!" And Maxi smiled behind her helmet. Her plan had worked. Now the vampire had gotten angry and with anger comes mistakes. This was her chance to end this once and for all.

"I mean, I'm a leader myself, I would understand why your boss wouldn't tell you, a _lowly_ second, his plans on how to take over the world," Maxi continued.

"Why you little--"

"Enough!" a voice boomed. Jumping slightly, Maxi and Ragdlog whipped around to see who it was. It was another vampire (big surprise!). Except this one was young…younger than all the other vampires they had been fighting, anyways. He was not much bigger than Maxi herself—yeah right! Maxi was only four-feet-two! The new vampire looked around 13-years-old and six-foot-two, a good two feet taller than Maxi. His hair was snow white in contrast to Maxi's jet black. Truth be told, he looked the exact opposite of Maxi…if you didn't count the face. His face was the splitting image of Maxi's, a mirrored opposite (with some additional vampire-istic features).

"Atirddez," Maxi muttered as she stared him down. Something was off about him. Something that makes him looks different than other vampires. It was something to do with his eyes. It was crimson like the eyes of all the other "_regular_" vampires, those that drink human blood, but there was something different about them, but Maxi couldn't put her finger on it.

"Sage," Atirddez replied. Then he turned to Ragdlog. "Let her go."

Ragdlog stared at him in shock. "You can't be serious?!" he demanded.

"I am. Let her go."

"Wh-why?!"

"You attacked her from behind. You snuck up on her. That was not the honorable way. You haven't won until you have done it fair and square. Now let her go! I will _not_ conquer Earth as a coward!"

"Yes…_sir_," Ragdlog grounded out grudgingly. He grabbed Maxi by the arm. "You got lucky this time, you pipsqueak, but next time, I won't let you get away that easily." And with that, he tossed her out.

Maxi landed on Earth with a thud. With a grunt, she pushed herself to her feet and teleported back to Rootcore, not even bothering to look around at where she was; it didn't matter. She just needed to get back to the others, and quick.

"Hey guys--" Maxi was cut off by the scream of shock.

"Ahhh!" Her friends were all there at the base of Rootcore. They had gathered there to brainstorm ideas on how to rescue her, but they got stuck at the part of where she had been taken. Her sudden appearance caused quite a scare, especially her yell in the quiet room.

"Lori!" the Jason cried in happiness upon seeing her.

"Lian!" everyone else shouted as they all rushed up to where she stood by the entrance. Rocky was the first to reach her and pulled her up into a bear hug.

"Don't you ever do that again!" he said. Maxi would've replied…if he wasn't squeezing her so hard that she could barely breathe.

"Down Rocko!" Aisha commanded.

"Yeah, Rocky, calm down," Adam said. "You're squeezing her so hard her face is the same color of your shirt!"

Rocky smiled sheepishly as everyone laughed. "Sorry," he murmured into Maxi's ear as he lightened up and she perched on one of his arms like a small child. Maxi grinned back at him. She was just as happy to see them as they were to see her. Over Rocky's shoulder, Maxi smiled at Aisha to show her appreciation for coming to her rescue. The second Yellow Ranger just responded with a light hug.

"You okay, Lor?" Jason asked once the rowdiness died down.

"Never better, Uncle Jase," Maxi replied. "I've got another long story to tell."

So Rocky brought her over to the table where everybody gathered around to listen. Maxi told them about her being the Sage and what happened at the Moon Palace.

"They let you go?" Blake asked doubtingly. "Just like that?"

"Atirddez demanded that I be released," Maxi said. "But Ragdlog didn't seem too happy about it though."

"I don't get it," Shane said. "Why would they let you go? Holding you ransom would've been the perfect way to get to the rest of us. And even if it wasn't, keeping you captive would mean one less Ranger to fight."

"I dunno," Maxi shrugged. "But Atirddez was babbling about honor and being fair and square and stuff like that. He said that the way Ragdlog captured me what cowardly and demanded I was released."

"Dude, that's just like Koragg!" Chip exclaimed.

"Who's Koragg?" Jason asked.

"Me," Leanbow said. Everyone turned to him. "I was Koragg when I was under the Master's evil spell. I guess a part of me had surfaced because I would never do anything without honor, even while I was Koragg."

"And you turned out to be the father of the Red Ranger," TJ mused.

"Maybe Atirddez is the father of Lian," Dustin said.

"He can't be," Maxi replied. "I mean, he was young, real young. I don't how he managed to get all those other vampires, clearly older than he is to follow his orders."

"He may look young, but he could easily be a hundred years old for all we know," Bella reminded her.

"But he's physically a child," Daggeron pointed out. "He can't reproduce."

"Vampires can't reproduce," Carlisle added.

"I still think he's somehow related to Lian though," Dustin replied, a little disappointed.

"_I _think it's weird that Atirddez is based in the Moon Palace," Aisha said.

"It's it kind of strange," Adam agreed, "using the old base of Rita and Zedd."

"Not really," Justin said and everyone turned to look at him.

"Why not?" Kat asked.

"Didn't you guys notice?" Justin asked.

"Notice what?" Zack asked.

"His name," the Blue Turbo Ranger said, "it's--"

"Rita Repulsa and Zedd backwards," Trini interrupted, figuring it out. Justin nodded.

"Exactly. '_Atirddez_'," he scribbled on a piece of paper that happened to be in his pocket at the moment, "spelled backwards is '_Zeddrita_', or '_Zedd Rita_'. '_Asluper_' is '_Repulsa_' spelled backwards, and well, '_Lord_' is '_Lord_'."

"And you know something funny?" Maxi asked. "His second-in-command is named '_Ragdlog_', which is '_Goldgar_' backwards."

"No way!" Rocky exclaimed. Maxi just nodded. "That's so weird."

"Do you think there could be connection?" Kelsey asked.

"Probably," Alyssa nodded.

"Atirddez must be a big fan of Rita and Zedd to name himself after them," Tanya mused.

"Then he must be a young vampire, probably grew up around their time," Jason theorized. They all knew he didn't mean physically growing.

"I agree," Maxi nodded. "And there's more. Something's weird about Atirddez, even for a vampire. He looks…_different_."

"Different how?" Max asked. Not knowing any vampires besides the Cullens, who were special themselves, he didn't really understand what Maxi was talking about. Neither did many of the other Rangers.

"It's something in the eyes," Jasper said.

"You noticed too?" Maxi asked him. The former Civil War major nodded.

"Some of them were like that, but others looked normal."

"It was weird," Emmett joined in. "The ones that had the eye thing, they acted weird too. They were liked all zoned out. Even when they did talk, it was…"

"Strange," Rosalie finished for her husband.

"Maybe those vampires are like monsters?" Bella said.

"No, each monster had a distinct personality," Maxi told her. "These vampires were like, uh…."

"Brainwashed zombies?" Chip guessed. His teammates rolled their eyes and sighed with exasperation, but Maxi smiled.

"Exactly!"

"But what does this mean?" Cole asked. "Do we fight them differently?"

"No," Jason told him. "We fight them just like how we've been fighting them before."

"And hopefully, we fight harder," Zack added.

"And with honor," Maxi said. "If Atirddez is fighting with honor, then we have to retaliate. We are the good guys, after all."

"She's right, we must fight with honor," Trini and Leanbow said at the same time.


	14. Chapter 14

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: ...and this is a bonus. Thanks for sticking with me.

Ch. 14

It's been a while since Atirddez sent down an attack. Carlisle, Dana, and Clare spent their time with Tommy, who seems to be getting worse and worse, while Udonna and the Mystics brushed up on their magic. The rest of the Rangers spent their time training with the Cullens or preparing for their next battle, why, Maxi didn't understand. You couldn't prepare for everything; she had learned that from her dad. You can never be ready. It's best to just wait 'til chaos strikes and learn how to deal with it. It's a waste of time to try to figure out what others are going to do in something as uncertain as the future. That's why Maxi doesn't even bother. While her friends were out trying to plan ahead, she sat in her room with the Time Force computer, typing frantically. Ever since her talk with Tom, Maxi thought she might have gotten the meaning of Lexian's "_root_" comment. Tom was Tommy's clone, but after going back in time, there's a big chance that he had somehow become Tommy's ancestor, a part of his heritage, his roots.

"_Look to the roots_," King Lexian had said, while Zordon told her that "_Blood was thicker than water_." At first, Maxi had thought they were talking about different things, but now, she realized that they were the same. Blood and roots (not plant roots, but heritage roots), both referring to one thing: family. Maxi never knew her family, never knew her heritage or her bloodline. She had grown up in Social Services, moving from one place to another, bouncing from foster family to foster family. The only thing she knew about her real family was that they named her '_Maximilian_', and that some part of it was Asian, possibly Chinese. So now, she was digging through old files, trying to find out about her past.

"You're not going to find anything," came a voice inside her head. By now, Maxi had gotten use to its sudden speak-up. Ever since she morphed into the Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, she seemed to have gotten a near-permanent connection with Tom. He was always there, as if hovering in a corner of her brain, coming out whenever she needed someone to talk to.

And you couldn't have told me that _before_ I spent 30 hours trying? Maxi retorted. Tom laughed. Maxi sat back in her chair with a sigh.

"Come on, why the long face?" Tom asked.

You're no seriously asking that, are you?

Tom chuckled. "No, no I'm not."

Tom, you're dead, don't you know everything?

"No I don't."

But you must know everyone's that's dead, right?

"Do you know how many dead people there are here in the Afterlife?"

A lot?

"That's an understatement."

But if I asked you to find someone for me, could you? Maxi asked.

Tom sighed. "You want me to look for your parents?"

Yeah. Maxi smiled sheepishly.

"How do you know they're dead?"

I don't, Maxi admitted. If they're alive, I have a chance of finding them, but if they're dead, then I can't do it…not on my own. Please Tom, I need your help.

"I don't get it. What's wrong? Why are you so interested in finding them all of a sudden?"

I think my real family can provide me with the answer to defeat Atirddez. Both Zordon and King Lexian told me to look there, so something must be important about them.

"I can't make any promises, but I'll do what I can."

Thanks Tom.

"I'm not saying I'll be able to find them."

Thanks for trying.

"No problem. You know I'll always be here for you, Li. We are one, you and I."

"Guys, should we be worried about Lian?" Trent asked as he and the other "_teens_" were hanging out in the forest after training with Daggeron and Leanbow. The two senior knights were now working with the older Rangers.

"Why? Is she hurt?" Xander asked.

"Emotionally," Tori answered. "But if your dad is stuck between human and vampire, you wouldn't be feeling so either, would you?"

"Guess not," Nick agreed. Out of everyone involved in this mission, Mystic Force knew the least. They had just defeated their own villain not too long ago. In fact, the day Maxi fell into town was the day Nick had returned from telling his adoptive parents about his biological parents. Until then, they didn't know about the other Power Rangers. They knew there had been teams before them, but until Maxi "_rounded up the rainbow_" they've never known who they really were. Maxi was just a new kid they met that needed help, Ranger help, and they were there to give it to her. She was still a new friend; _all_ the others were still their new friends.

"I think it's more than that," Blake said. "Tommy's been out for a while now, but Lian seemed fine until she came back from the Moon Palace."

"Well she just got kidnapped, maybe it's that?" Maddie said.

"No, Lian's stronger than that," Kira said. "It's got to be something else. She's always been an outdoorsy person, introverted, but always speaks her mind. And now she's shutting herself up inside her room and not talking to anyone? That's not like her."

"What do you think it is then?" Vida asked.

"If I know her like I think I do, then it's got to be something to do with Atirddez and his whole '_honor_' thing," Shane said.

"Hey guys, do you think Maxi can read Atirddez's mind? Like the way Nick could with Koragg?" Chip asked.

"That would explain what was happening to her that one time," Dustin agreed, nodding. "You know, when her eyes were flashing green?"

"I don't think so," Maddie said. "Remember, Koragg was only able to do that with Nick because he used Udonna's Snow Staff."

"And have you guys notice?" Cam asked. "Lian's eyes have been green a lot lately. They don't flash anymore, just solid green."

"Yeah, I've noticed too," Xander said.

"Well I haven't," Conner said.

"You don't notice anything," Ethan replied, but then he sighed. "I haven't either though."

"Maybe it's a Green thing," Hunter said.

"Maybe," Cam muttered, thinking about it.

"So what do we do about Lian?" Trent asked. Out of all the Dino Thunder Rangers (besides Tommy, of course), Trent was the closest to Maxi. It was probably because they were both adopted by a single father who was a scientist and dinosaur expert (and had once been evil). He had come to think of her as the little sister he never had and treated her likewise, just as Jason treats Kimberly. Therefore, when Maxi locked herself up in her room at the very top of Rootcore, Trent was the one that the most worried.

"Just leave her alone."

The all turned to see who the new voice belonged to. Justin appeared, walking over to them.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked him. Blake and Hunter, being adopted too, were also quite close to Maxi. However, Justin had been the first of all the Rangers to meet Maxi and was her best friend (despite the ten-year age difference). He had lived in the Little Angels Haven with Maxi during the time of the Turbo Rangers and often visited her even after he moved in with his father. Although Justin wasn't an orphan, he knew Maxi better than anyone, the only person to match him being Tommy.

"Positive," Justin said. "If she wanted to tell us, she would. If she hasn't it's because she one, doesn't think it's time yet, or two, because it has nothing to do with the rest of us. Either way, we should respect her decision and privacy."

"You're right," Nick nodded. _I hope._

"Li! Li!"

Tom's voice came one night. Maxi had been drugged under Jason's orders, it being the only way they could get her to sleep. Although her physical eyes couldn't open, Maxi's spirit managed to leave her body to the world of In-Between, where she met with Tom, face to face.

"Did you find them?" Maxi asked excitedly. Tom nodded. "Great! Where are they?"

"That's the problem."

"I don't understand."

"Your parents, they don't have spirits. They're gone."

"I know. That's how you saw them, right?" Maxi said, still confused.

"No, I didn't mean they're dead. I mean, they're gone. They've gone past death."

Maxi frowned. "How could you go past death?" she asked.

"With every person there is Life and Death, challenges for them to conquer. Life gives you obstacles, while Death gives you choices. One of the choices is to take you away, away from everything yet to everything at the same time. To cut you loose from all ties you have on Earth or anywhere else."

"I still don't get it," Maxi said, shaking her head. She's getting so confused nowadays she's seriously doubting how she managed to skip a grade in the first place.

"Your parents have taken that decision to go away with Death. They've been dematerialized. They're nothing more than--"

"Atoms, hanging around in what you see as empty space," Maxi said, reciting the words Zordon had said to her.

"Uh, yeah," Tom nodded uncertainly. Maxi sighed, hanging her head.

"So there's no way in finding out my past then?" she asked sadly.

"Well…" Tom drawled, a slow smile creeping across his face. Maxi frowned.

"What is it?" she demanded.

"I didn't find your parents, but I did find…" Tom trailed off, stepping aside to reveal another figure. An old man dressed like a Native American of some sort, his long black and graying hair tied into two braids on each side.

"True of Heart," Maxi breathed as she recognized the old shaman. Tommy had told her all about him. He had been the man who was had the Red Zeo Sub-crystal Tommy had been sent in search for.

"It's nice to see you again, Maximilian," True said. At first, Maxi's eyes widen with shock of how he had learned not only her name, but her _full_ name, but then remembered where she was and found it not so shocking anymore.

"It's nice to see you too, sir," Maxi replied, although she couldn't remember how he could've seen her before. She was trying to be polite, but the wise man was able to see her impatience underneath. He smiled.

"Let us sit and I'll tell you what you want to know." True sat down on the ground cross-legged and Maxi scrambled to follow. That sat facing each other; Tom had gone away, to give them their privacy. True closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Maxi, as impatient as she was to hear what he had to say, knew better than to rush him, so she sat as quietly as she could and bit her tongue to keep from speaking. True seemed to approve. After a while he smiled again.

"Patience is a virtue," he said almost dreamily. Then he opened his piercing green eyes. "Now, Maximilian, what is it that you seek?"

"My parents, sir. Do you know anything about them?"

"I know them both very well," True said, nodding, "your mother and father: Gideon and Bethany Conley."

"Conley," Maxi murmured, having heard her last name for the first time. She made a mental note to look up that name on the internet, as well as "_Gideon_" and "_Bethany_".

"Yes. Gideon and Bethany Conley, both great people, wise and powerful."

"Powerful?" Maxi asked.

"Yes, very powerful."

"In what way?"

"Both your parents have powers, Maximilian. Not those Powers, but powers, just the same. You can talk to people of the past, borrow their powers, your father can speak with the many Gods and Goddesses of different religions and beliefs, borrowing their powers. Your mother is a bit different. While you and your father could talk to spirits, she can physically leave her body and _become_ a spirit. Your brother takes after her, able to leave his physical body as well."

"I have a brother?"

"Yes, a twin brother, born only one second before you."

"Is that possible?"

"It is when you were born at the exact time of the time spell."

"Time spell," Maxi murmured, frowning and brow creased as she thought about it. Then it hit her. "1996, Master Vile turned back time, reversing the Rangers back to kids."

True nodded. "You were only halfway out when the time wave swept over the Earth, taking every human being back eight years. The doctor, the nurse, your parents, your brother…"

"But not me?" Maxi asked, confused.

"No, not you," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"You were not fully born yet. You were not fully human yet."

"Then how did I survive?"

"I used my own life-force energy to push you pass the World of In-Between and into Life."

"Is that possible?"

"For some of us, yes."

"How?"

"Only those of us who are fully connected to our true selves can give life to others."

"So who is he? Who is my brother?"

True looked at her in shock. "Surely it's not that hard! What are the characteristics of twins?"

"Siblings that are the same age?"

"What else?"

Maxi thought about it. "Two individuals who look alike?" True nodded. And then Maxi gasped. "Atirddez is my brother?"

"Yes, he is."

"But…how?"

"Four years ago, your brother and parents came across vampires on a camping trip. Your parents were both killed on the spot and your brother was…"

"Turned into a vampire," Maxi finished dryly.

"Yes. And that attacker, after finding out what your brother could do, kept him by his side, to use and manipulate him."

"And my brother followed this attacker…willingly?"

"No. This attacker has an ability of his own: hypnosis. He uses his power to control others, to make them do his bidding."

"And that explains why those vampires all looked funny, including Atirddez!" Then Maxi gasped again. "Ragdlog, he's the attacker, isn't he?"

"You are a bright child, Maximilian."

"Thank you, sir," Maxi said, bowing her head. She waited a little while before asking. "What is Atir—my brother's name? My parents can't have named him after Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa."

"You are right. Your brother's full name is Macbeth Forester Dyre Conley."

"Wow, that's a long name."

True smiled. "But yours is even longer."

Maxi looked at him. "It is?" she asked worriedly.

"Your full name is Maximilian Lorelai Skylar Trygg Conley Oliver." Maxi gave a low whistle as a reply and True chuckled.

"You named me, didn't you?" Maxi asked after a while. True nodded.

"I named you '_Maximilian_' first, because it means '_great_'; you are destined for greatness. And second, because you are definitely one in a million. Most likely one-of-a-kind, now that I think about it," he added.

Maxi smiled. "Thank you, sir. And if you would allow it, I wish to add one more to my name."

True cocked an eyebrow.

"If you would allow it, I would be honored to add Trueheart into my name."

True smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "The honor would be mine." The he got up to his feet. Maxi quickly follow suited. "Now it is time for you to go. Go with your knowledge to win this war and conquer this obstacle. Go now, and may the Power protect you."


	15. Chapter 15

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

Ch. 15

The Rangers were just gathering back at Rootcore when Maxi entered the base, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and yawning. Jason smirked at her.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked smugly.

"I didn't really sleep," Maxi replied. "But thanks for drugging me anyways," she added sarcastically. Jason opened his mouth to object, but no sound came out.

"I told you she was going to figure it out," Adam sighed, shaking his head. "She's not an idiot, you know."

"Wait, she was drugged?" Conner asked. His teammates sighed and rolled their eyes in exasperation, not even bothering to reach over and hit him this time.

"Unlike some people," Ethan muttered to Adam.

"What do you mean you didn't really sleep?" Trini asked. Maxi smiled. Of course it would be Trini to ask that question, Trini to pick up on the more important part of what she said.

"I was sleeping…at least my physical body was, when Tom came to me…" Maxi started.

"Man, this is major déjà vu," TJ said after hearing what Maxi told them.

"Tell me about it," Ashley agreed.

"I hate it when history repeats itself," Wes said, shaking his head.

"So what do we do?" Kira asked.

"Well," Maxi replied. "If history really is repeating itself, then there's only one thing we can do." She turned to Andros. He didn't respond for a while, clearly thinking hard. Finally he nodded.

"No!" Jason said at once. He had figured out what they were thinking. "No! I will not allow it!"

"It has to be me," Maxi whispered.

"No! There are over 60 of us here; we can defeat Atirddez and his vampires if we all do this together!"

"That's just the point Uncle Jase, we don't want to defeat Atirddez and his vampires."

The Rangers and their allies all turned to stare at Maxi. "We don't?"

She shook her head. "We don't. '_If you can't beat them, join them_', Zordon said. We're fighting against vampires. They outnumber us by too much. We can't beat them, not even if we match them in numbers."

"So you're saying we should join them?!" Chip asked incredulously.

"No. The vampires should know that we're the Power Rangers, even those without the Power are Rangers in spirit. The vampires aren't like monsters, they're intelligent beings. They know that we'll never back down, and although they have brute strength, they don't have what it takes to destroy the Power."

"So we're stuck," Ethan said.

Maxi nodded. "We're stuck in a stalemate. Both sides know it's true, Ragdlog's just in denial. People have already been killed because of the vampires' feeding habits. For now, the rest of the citizens of Briarwood are safe inside the Mystic Forest, protected by spells, but it's only a matter of time before Ragdlog gets smart enough to attack other cities, to attack the people we love that aren't here under our protection. Your parents, your children, your family, they're all in danger. The sooner we can end this, the better."

The others were quiet for a long time. Nick was the first to speak up.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to reason with him, call a truce."

"You're not going to be able to reason with Ragdlog," Shane said. Maxi turned to him.

"Who says I'm going to reason with Ragdlog?" They all stared at her. "I'm going to Atirddez."

"Are you sure about this, Li?"

Maxi was now kneeling by Tommy's bed. The others had said good luck and given their advice and were now preparing in case of a final battle. If anything goes wrong at the Moon Palace, Maxi had ordered Jason to lead the others into an all out combat. By word or by weapon, this war has to end.

With a last sigh, Maxi stood up. You know I have to do this, Tom.

Inside her mind, Tom nodded. "I won't say 'good luck', 'cause I'll be there with you, all the way."

I know. Maxi's fingers curled around her Turbo Key. She closed her eyes. _Just a little bit longer Dad_, she thought, and then raised her left arm.

"It's time to kick into action! Shift into Turbo!"

Maxi walked out into the middle of the city as tall as she could. She looked calm, but inside, her heart was pounding like Thumper's foot. If it weren't for the Power coursing through her, she would be physically shaking. At the very center of Briarwood, the same place she had been ambushed by Ragdlog not-too-long-ago. She pointed up to the sky.

"Lord Atirddez Asluper, I call upon you in the name of honor! Meet with me so we can devise a compromise to suit us both!"

For a while, nothing happened. And then the sky began to rumble. The clouds didn't go black like the first time, but Atirddez's booming voice was the same.

"I will meet with you, Platinum Sage. But you will come alone!"

"I will if you will," Maxi replied.

"You have my word of honor."

Then the thunder died down and Maxi found herself zapped up into a black vortex that was cackling with red lightning. The next thing she knew, she was standing in the throne room of the Moon Palace, Atirddez standing in front of her, a combination of Rita and Zedd's staffs in his hand.

"You called?" he asked.

"We need to talk," Maxi said.

"What would you and I have to talk about?"

"The Earth."

"I will rule the Earth."

"But why? Why do you want to rule the Earth?"

"The Earth is ruled by human now and look at what they have done to it! They've destroyed half its resources, polluted its waters…"

"So you're keen on protecting the Earth?" Maxi asked.

"Yes. I want to protect my home."

_Yet you're attacking it from the moon_, Maxi thought wryly. _How ironic._

"The Earth is home to both of us. The Power Rangers have never had to defend the Earth from its own occupants. If you really care about the Earth, then you will put a stop to your conquest."

"My people have been living in hiding for long enough. We will reclaim what is rightfully ours!"

"The Earth belongs to no one. We all belong to the Earth. Why not we team up to protect it together? If you prove to be harmless, then the humans will embrace you as their kin, their brethren. We share a common goal, which makes us allies, not enemies."

"We are different, you and I."

"No. We are forever intertwined. We depend on each other; balance each other out like yin and yang." Atirddez frowned. Maxi could tell he was thinking about it. One more would push him over the edge. And that was when she remembered more of Zordon's words. They reminded her of a song Trini had sung to her when she had first learned about the Power Rangers and asked the originals questions by the truckloads. All of a sudden, before she could even think about it, Maxi opened her mouth…and sang:

As you go through life you'll see  
There is so much that we  
Don't understand

And the only thing we know  
Is things don't always go  
The way we planned

But you'll see every day  
That we'll never turn away  
When it seems all your dreams come undone

We will stand by your side  
Filled with hope and filled with pride  
We are more than we are  
We are one

If there's so much I must be  
Can I still just be me  
The way I am?

Can I trust in my own heart  
Or am I just one part  
Of some big plan?

Even those who are gone  
Are with us as we go on  
Your journey has only begun

Tears of pain, tears of joy  
One thing nothing can destroy  
Is our pride, deep inside  
We are one

We are one, you and I

We are like the earth and sky  
One family under the sun

All the wisdom to lead  
All the courage that you need  
You will find when you see  
We are one

Maxi finished the song and reached out her hand, just as Jason had done so with Tommy all those years ago. "We are one and the same," she told her brother. "Together, we can make sure no one can harm the Earth. Will you join us…Macbeth?" Maxi demorphed as she said her twin's true name. And that name seemed to have been the key to awaken him from the hypnotic spell Ragdlog put him under. He aroused with a sharp inhale. Then he turned to look at Maxi, blinking. Maxi could tell the strange glaze in his eyes from the other day was gone. She smiled. She had done it.

"Where am I?" he asked. "And who are you?"

"You're in the throne room of the Moon Palace, former base of operations of the ex-villians, Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, current base of Ragdlog and his vampires. My name is Maximilian; I am your twin sister."

"Twin sister?" he asked his eyes wide with surprise. Maxi nodded. She opened her mouth to explain, but someone interrupted her.

"Li!" came Tom's voice, filled with dread and urgency. "Li!"

What? What is it? Maxi asked, sacred by his tone.

"It's your father; he's…he's…"

"No!" Maxi cried out loud.

"What is it?"

Maxi turned to look at her brother. By his eyes, though ruby because he had recently drunk human blood, he seemed to be himself. Desperate to go to her father, Maxi decided to trust him.

"You're no longer under Ragdlog's spell; can you break the spell for the others?"

"I'll try," he nodded.

"Thanks, Macbeth."

He laughed. "Just call me Mac."

"Can you tell me where to find Ragdlog, Mac?"

"No need. I'm right here, Ranger!"

The twins whipped around in shock. There, in the entranceway stood Ragdlog, sword in hand. Maxi growled in distaste. He pointed his sword at her.

"You cost me my servant!" he accused.

"My brother is not your servant," Maxi retorted. Ragdlog smirked.

"Not anymore, but your father will soon be mine."

"Not if I have anything to do with it!" Maxi replied. "Shift into Turbo!"

"Ranger or not, I will destroy you!" Ragdlog roared charging.

"Turbo Sword!" Maxi pulled out her weapon just in time to block the attack. "Mac, go now! You have to convince the others!"

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. Go, the Earth needs you!"

"Right! Good luck, Sage."

"May the Power protect you," Maxi replied and slashed out at Ragdlog. The vampire snarled in frustration and charged again. Maxi pulled the handle at the end of the sword. "Turbo Sword, power up mode!"

**Bang! Clang!**

Loud, shrill sounds rang out each time their swords clashed. Neither Ragdlog nor Maxi was giving in. Both fought with everything they had. But neither side was winning as well.

"Hurry Li, hurry!" Tom urged inside her head.

I'm trying, Maxi replied. With a grunt of effort she pushed the vampire off and he staggered back against the wall.

"I've had enough of this. It's time to end it! Turbo Blaster, power up mode! Turbo Navigator, blaster mode! Turbine Laser!"

Maxi held a blaster on each hand while the Turbine Laser floated in front of her. Ragdlog realized the danger he was in. His ruby-colored eyes grew wide and fright was written across his face. Maxi's face was set behind her helmet.

"Fire!"

Three beams of laser shot forward and merged together as they hit they target. Ragdlog screamed in pain before he exploded. The pieces rained back onto the marble ground, crackling in the small fire. Satisfied, Maxi demorphed.

"Li, it's over," came Tom's quiet voice. "It's over. Your father, he's…"

"No, it can't be!" Maxi cried out. "He's not dead! A Ranger never dies! No!" The little girl had her eyes squeezed shut, her small hands balled up in quaking fists, her whole body was shaking. _No, no, no, this can't be happening_, she kept repeating in her head. He's not gone! He can't be.

Then the strangest feeling came to her. She felt energy being gathered inside her. She felt so full she thought she was going to burst. All her thoughts were focused and concentrated on her father: Tommy Oliver. And then she threw her head back and let out a roar. Light, pure white light, tinged with gold, gushed out of her open mouth and disappeared into the sky. Maxi paid no attention to it. All she could think about was her dad. Finally, that extra energy was gone. Actually, more than the extra energy was gone. Maxi felt drained. She was soaked from sweat, yet her throat and lips were parch dry. She was panting heavily, gasping for air as her legs threatened to give out. Between her struggles for breath, she uttered one word:

"Dad."

* * *

The song (as you probably already know) is 'We Are One' from the Lion King II. My brother thought it was corny, but I think it fits. What do you think? Review! 


	16. Chapter 16

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

Ch. 16

Everybody had gathered in Tommy's room. Atirddez—or Mac, as he introduced himself—had come to tell them about Maxi's battling with Ragdlog at the Moon Palace. At first, they all wanted to go help her, fearing for her safety, but seeing that none of them (not even Mac himself) knew how to get to where she was, that didn't really work. Plus the fact that Carlisle reported that Tommy was losing _his_ battle. They were all torn, but Andros reminded the others to trust in Maxi and believe that the Power and the spirits of the past would protect her. So they agreed and were all standing solemnly around Tommy, willing him to keep fighting.

All of a sudden, much to Carlisle and Dana's surprise, Tommy's eyes popped open. The Pink Rescue Ranger was so startled, she literally jumped from where she was sitting on the edge of his bed, dabbing his heated head with a cold towel.

"Ahh!" she screamed, calling everybody back from their thoughts. They were all shocked to see Tommy sit up and turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's going on?" he asked his voice raspy from a parched throat. None of the others could answer. They all just stared at him with open mouths. Tommy stared back at them, not understanding their actions. Finally, Jason broke the silence.

"It's about time, bro."

For the second time in that spot today, a black vortex appeared in the sky and red lightning struck down onto Earth. It disappeared in a flash and a small girl fell down. Maxi landed hard on her feet, feeling her knees buckle but managing to keep herself in balance. She didn't know how she managed to return to Earth, or how long it has been since she destroyed Ragdlog, all she knew was that she was extremely weak, feeling as if she no longer had any more energy. Her face was as pale as the vampire she had just defeated and glistening in sweat, though her lips white and bone-dry. The drugged sleep Jason had sentenced her to, hadn't given her much rest and she could feel the weariness catching up with her now. Her eyelids were becoming too heavy to keep up and as each second passed, she could feel her consciousness slipping away. But something caught her eye and she held on to the last bit with all her might.

A crowd of people had come into sight, but in her eyes was only one man. One man with short, dark brown hair spiked up fashionably. His thin glasses were in place as if they had been there forever, his goatee none-the-larger than it would be if he shaved it everyday. He was wearing black shoes, white pants, a red t-shirt, and a green button-down shirt over it.

"Dad?" Maxi asked with uncertainty. She focused her eyes on him and a slow smile spread across her face. "Dad!" And she broke into a run with energy she didn't know she had. "Dad! Dad! Dad!"

"Lori!" he exclaimed upon seeing her.

A rush of relief washed over Maxi like a crashing wave. She could even feel just a little warmth coming back to her. Running as fast as she could, Maxi slammed right into the hard-built man. She threw her short, thin arms around his neck, tears pouring down her face.

"Daddy!"

Tommy was kneeling on one knee to match Maxi's height. He squeezed her tightly as if he was clinging onto the only thing keeping him connected in the real world.

"What you have done today, many cannot do in lifetimes. I'm so proud of you," he whispered in her ear.

"I know, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

The ending is short, I know, but it didn't feel right to stick this at the end of the last chapter. Epilogue is coming up, any questions you want me to answer? Review!


	17. Chapter 17

War of the Hidden

Disclaimer: Nothing that you can google belongs to me.

A/N: Well...this is it. The story has come to an end. It's the first story I've actually finished writting it all the way through. Please review!

Epilogue:

It's been a week since Ragdlog's defeat. The Rangers had stayed to help with the destruction their battles had caused. At the same time, it allowed time for the Rangers and the Cullens to actually interact in a way that wasn't urgent. Rosalie made quick friends with Jason, Dustin, Hunter, Blake, and Nick through their love of vehicles (Rosaile with cars, the guys with bikes). It surprised just about everyone except Edward, but they were all thankful that she didn't join Alice and latch onto Kim, Kat, and Aisha for their love of shopping. Everybody had winced when the four had gotten together. Edward got close with Zack, Kira, and Vida through music, and Emmett and Rocky were inseparable, sometimes joined by other Ranger pranksters (i.e. Conner). Jasper was the quiet one, so he felt comfortable with the shier of the Rangers, including Maddie and Adam, though his best friend seemed to be the always-brooding Andros. Esme found companionship with Udonna and Shayla, the only two female Ranger mentors on Earth, and Carlisle and Dana's medical discussions were avoided by the rest, who were unable to keep up with what they were talking about. Bella bonded with practically everyone.

Without the physical strength to help with the rebuilding, Maxi found herself wandering in the Mystic Forest a lot. Not that she minded, the silence allowed her think…and boy, did she have a lot to think about.

Today, Maxi was sitting on a high root of a tree not far from Rootcore. No one was present at the base at that time, being all outside, helping, so she was kind of "watching" it for Clare and Udonna and the rest of the Mystics. Maxi had one leg up, her right arm hanging on her knee while her other leg was dangling, swinging in space because she was too short to touch the ground.

"Hey."

Maxi turned at the newcomer's voice, twisting a single blade of grass in her fingers. "Hey Nick," she replied as he sat down next to her.

"You all right?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Maxi shrugged. "A lot of things: being the Sage, a Ranger, the Vampire War, but most of all, my parents. All my life, I had no past; I just lived in the present and looked to the future. But now, not only have I found my past, but I'm also the Ambassador of the Past. It's a lot to take in."

Nick chuckled softly. "I know what you mean. I was adopted too." Maxi looked up at him in surprised. He merely nodded. "They worked a lot, and when they weren't home, I had to go around and live with my relatives. I had come to Briarwood to live with my sister after a year with my cousins when we became the Mystic Force Rangers. It was during my term as a Power Ranger that I discovered that Udonna and Leanbow were my parents, and that I was the '_Light_', son of the most powerful sorceress and greatest of all warriors. Supposedly, it gives me the potential to be the most powerful wizard that ever existed."

Maxi laughed. "Wow, the two of us are pretty similar," she said. "But you're life is not as weird as mine."

Nick laughed with her. "You're right. I didn't grow up with all this craziness."

Maxi smiled at him. "You're starting joke around and crack jokes about them," she told him. "You're becoming part of the family, the Power Ranger family. It's a tradition."

"What's a tradition?"

"You're not officially in the loop until you've realized that we're all weirdoes fighting evil in spandex and are willing to laugh about it, no matter how many times you've saved the Earth," Maxi said with a grin. "It took Merrick the longest."

Nick had to laugh at that. "I'm not surprised. What about Eric? I can't really see him cracking jokes."

"That's 'cause you've only known them for a week that we weren't in the middle of a war. Eric actually loosened a lot after he got together with Taylor. Plus, he's extremely sarcastic."

Just then a familiar tune rang. Nick flipped out his Mystic Morpher. "Yeah?" he asked. Even without danger, he and his teammate often used their cell-phone-shaped wands to communicate with each other.

"Hey Nick, is Lori with you?" came Tommy's voice from the other end. Maxi leaned over to answer.

"I'm here Dad."

"See I told you!" they could hear Justin's voice in the background. "But why believe the genius?"

Nick and Maxi laughed.

"Don't feel bad Justin," TJ said, also in the background. "No one believes the kids."

"I'm not a kid!" Justin protested to TJ's snickering. A roaring laughter reached Maxi's ears, hers and Nick's included. She could just picture what was going on over there.

"No worries Dad, I can take care of myself," Maxi said.

"I was just making sure," Tommy replied. "A dad's gotta know these things."

Maxi chuckled. "Love you."

"Love you," Tommy echoed before hanging up.

Maxi sighed, shaking her head and she leaned back from her friend. "Parents," she said in exasperation. "Can't live with them, can't live without them."

Nick laughed, pocketing his Mystic Morpher, which seemed harder since he was wearing his Mystic Warrior uniform, with the big black cape. "True that," he said. "But I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What's up with your names? I mean, everyone calls you something different. I thought your name was Maxi, but I've only heard the Cullens call you that."

Maxi smiled. "Yeah, I was wondering when you'd bring that up. You see, my full name is Maximilian Lorelai Skylar Trygg Trueheart Conley Oliver. The people at the Little Angels Haven, the children shelter in Angel Grove, said that I had shown up on the doorstep with a tag that said 'Maximilian'. When I met Justin, I asked him to change it for me in all the documents, shorten it to just Maxi. After Mrs. Chafer, the old woman who had found me, died, no one besides Justin knew my full name. So to most people, I'm Maxi, that's my name.

"When Tommy adopted me, he added '_Lorelai Oliver_' to my name. Only he and Uncle Jason call me Lori. After I uncovered their identities and met the Rangers, I told them my first name. They all called me Lian, it was a way to show that they were actually them and not bad guys in disguise. A safety net, if you will."

"What about all your other names?"

"I didn't know I had them until I met True of Heart that time. My brother's full name is MacBeth Nicolai Forester Dyre Gideon Conley Oliver, since Dad had adopted him too. Dad added Nicolai and Oliver to his name, while we (him and I) decided to add our father's name to his, since he already bore our mother's and he knew them both while I didn't. Conley was my father's last name. After what True of Heart has done for us, me and my dad, and Mac too, I added his name to mine: Trueheart. Coincidently, Dad's long-lost brother, David, was adopted by a man named Sam Trueheart, who bears a creepy resemblance of True of Heart."

"Wow," Nick said. "After finding out my past, I only added one name to mine: Bowen. You, you added half-a-dozen."

"No, just four," Maxi replied and they both burst into laughed, which echoed and rang through the quiet forest.

Before leaving back to their own homes, the Rangers realized they had missed Maxi's birthday, which had been on Independence Day, during the Vampire War (or the War of the Hidden, as Conner puts it. For a guy who didn't like to think, he sure comes up with a lot of nicknames for things. Just ask Ethan. Actually, don't, not unless you've got two days and nothing to do.) They all insisted that they throw her a party before going their separate ways.

"The 11th birthday is very special," Trini said.

"Yeah," Dustin added. "Have you not read Harry Potter?" Everyone turned to look at him.

"You've read Harry Potter?" Shane asked incredulously.

"Well, if there's gonna be a party, it won't be just for me," Maxi said. "It'll be for Mac too, and to celebrate the victory of the war, and the Independence Day that we missed."

"My dad's probably bought the fireworks already," Trent said.

"Good," Maxi grinned. "'Cause if I'm gonna have a party, it's got to be at home."

"Of course, where else can we have it?" Trini replied as if it was so obvious. And maybe it was to the adults, or maybe just Trini, Maxi wasn't sure. However, she was sure that Trini was a whole lot like Alice when she was like this.

And so it was settled. All the Power Rangers on Earth, their allies and mentors (ones that know their identities) and of course, the Cullens, got in their vehicles and drove the two hours out to Reefside where Anton graciously offered to pay for everything. They were holding it back at Tommy's old house, with a barbeque set up in the backyard. It was lucky that they lived by the woods on the edge of town, with no neighbors, that way, people who wanted to be outside could hang outside, and people who wanted to be inside could chill inside, everyone was happy and they had nothing to hide because they knew there would be no one to eavesdrop on them.

"Hey Mac."

The teen turned and smiled at his sister. "Hey Maxi."

"You all right?" she asked with concern, sitting down beside him on the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't you like the party?"

"Yeah, it's cool."

"Then what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Come on bro, you can't lie to me. We may not look like it, but we're twins."

Mac laughed and that was when Maxi realized his voice was musical, just like the Cullens. He was amazingly attractive, just like the Cullens. And she's never notice this but…

"You're eyes, they're…"

Mac just nodded. "The Cullens took me hunting a couple of days ago. Don't worry, it was outside Briarwood," he assured her after seeing the shock on her face. It was Maxi's turn to nod. And then something hit her.

"You're going to live with the Cullens, aren't you?" she asked in a quiet voice. He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, it's safer that way. They're going to help me, teach me to become a vegetarian. I have to go with them," Mac added when he saw the sadness in her eyes. "I haven't been a vampire for very long, and I've spent that time under hypnosis. I don't remember any of it, so it's like I'm a newborn, except without the extra strength. It's hard for me to control myself. I've already done enough to hurt you and the others; I won't be able to forgive myself if I did any more damage."

"Mac, half the Rangers here have been evil at least once in their lives," Maxi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Even the ones I'm closest to: Dad, Trent, Blake and Hunter, Nick, too. They're not the only ones, and neither are you. What matters is you're now on our side."

"I know. And I will be back…when I have better self-control. I promise."

Maxi nodded and Mac pulled her into a hug, being careful not to crush her by accident. Maxi squeezed him tightly. He was hard and cold…just like the Cullens.

"All right Maxi, how you liking your party?" Tristan asked, throwing an arm over her shoulders.

"It's awesome," Maxi replied. "It's nice to be able to just sit back and relax now."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Rocky said, joining them. "No matter what you do, there's always more evil coming your way."

"Don't jinx it, Rocko," Maxi replied wryly. The guys laughed. Suddenly, all the lights dimmed. The four of them got up from the stairs they had been sitting on and walked over to see what was going on. Maxi chuckled, shaking her head when she saw candle lights coming her way. Then the singing began:

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Lian (Lori) and Mac (Nico),

Happy birthday to you!

"You guys didn't have to do this," Maxi said at the same time as the cake was wheeled in front of her and a knife held up for her to take.

"No, but we wanted to," Jason said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Go on, make a wish and blow out the candles," several voices urged.

"But be careful what you wish for," Jenji warned, and everyone laughed. Maxi smiled and looked up at her brother, who smiled back. Together, they closed their eyes, made a wish and blew out the candles. The others clapped and cheered. The lights flickered back on as the candle flames went out.

"Sorry I'm late," a voice answered from behind them. "Did I miss anything?"

Everybody turned around to see who it was. A well-built Caucasian man with shaggy, sandy-blonde hair stood there. He wore strange shiny-silk robe-like clothing that was blue and had thick glasses perched on his nose. He was grinning widely, and when she recognized him, so was Maxi.

"Billy!" she cried, launching onto him. The room grew quiet when the others heard what she said. The first ten Rangers' expressions changed from shock to delight. Smiles broke across their faces.

"Billy!" they all exclaimed, running over to their old friend and embracing him all at once. When they finally let go, the original Blue Ranger was able to set Maxi back down to her feet.

"Happy birthday Lori," he said. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't make it back to Earth to assist you all in the Vampire War."

"Don't be," Jason said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We know you would've been here if you could have."

"Yeah, it wasn't like you didn't_ want_ to be here," Kim added. "You just couldn't."

"I know," Billy said, frowning slightly. "But I feel out of place now."

"You're not," Tommy said, putting a hand on his other shoulder. Maxi smiled up at the two men.

"'Cause once a Ranger," she started.

"Always a Ranger!" everybody chorused.

The End

* * *

This ending doesn't really wrap things up, does it? I'm thinking about writing a follow-up, what do you think? Review!


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